


Say something (I'm giving up on you)

by halcyone



Category: Legacies (TV 2018)
Genre: Angst, F/F, Pining, Sad, hexed!josie, hope still loves josie, post-breakup hosie
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-24
Updated: 2020-12-24
Packaged: 2021-03-04 03:01:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 33,324
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24886519
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/halcyone/pseuds/halcyone
Summary: Hope Mikaelson loves Josie Saltzman, but when Josie was buried alive and forced to siphon her mom's life force, Hope was given the cold shoulder. Hope tries to give her the space she needs, but how do you watch someone you love rip themselves apart?-Hope is seconds away from breaking something. “I finally understand now,” Hope bites out, her tone bitter. “I’ll never be good enough for you.”Josie clenches her jaw and looks away. Hope laughs mirthlessly and leaves, forgetting about her food. She feels like someone immersed her in lava—her entire world burning at the seams.-A one-shot that got out of hand.
Relationships: Hope Mikaelson/Josie Saltzman
Comments: 54
Kudos: 370





	1. Never Good Enough

**Author's Note:**

> Landon Kirby doesn’t exist, but Malivore was still a threat in the past.

Hope feels empty. She can’t concentrate on anything, and the world around her is constantly muddled and diluted. Her thoughts are exhausting, bouncing around her head at every hour of the day. Even after hours of being in her wolf form, she’s still off center like nothing will ever properly be balanced.

She’s thought about returning to New Orleans, visiting Aunt Freya, Keelin, and Nik. Hope needs the break, really, and nothing is keeping her at the Salvatore school. Her friends don’t need her. They’re all in healthy relationships, and she no longer has the capacity to third wheel them. Every time she’s with them, they give her sympathetic frowns and attempt to keep the PDA at a minimum.

Hope hates that they have to be less expressional of their budding romances around her, but she can’t deny the feeling of longing that stabs across her chest when remembering that used to be her once. Happily in love and overly affectionate. 

Hope Mikaelson was in love once. Well, she still is. Warm doe eyes always pierce right through her, and the memory of flushed tan skin never ceases to leave her. Slim fingers and cold palms fit perfectly in hers, and soothing embraces always left her content and wanting more. 

What’s worse is that Hope’s room still reeks of vanilla and lavender. Her comforter, her pillows, her desk, her bathroom, and her paints for god’s sake smelled like the brunette. It’s intoxicating and always leaves Hope wanting to run straight into the arms of the Saltzman. 

It’s been two weeks since she’s given up on talking to Josie. Just thinking about it makes Hope’s heart seize, clenching painfully at the thought of the siphoner. Her throat closes up, and her fingertips tingle with the overload of misery and sorrow. It reminds Hope of when her parents died; the feeling coursing through her veins similar to that of grief, except her parents have passed away, and well, Josie Saltzman is still alive and breathing.

Deciding that staring up at her ceiling won’t help her sleep, Hope shuffles out of bed and heads to the kitchen. A midnight snack should at least settle her rather bottomless stomach. Although before she enters the room, mellifluous singing floats through the open doorway, and the familiar scent of vanilla and lavender fills her nostrils mixed with the apple pie baking in the oven. The brunette always baked whenever she was having a particularly rough day. 

Hope hasn’t heard Josie sing in months, her voice still as heavenly as ever. After a few lines, Hope recognized the song as a slowed down version of “Say Something” by A Great Big World. Obviously Josie is struggling through something right now, considering she’s baking and singing a heart breaking song. It takes everything in the auburn haired girl to not rush in and smother her with a hug and forehead kisses. 

But no, Hope promised herself that she would give Josie her space. She spent two months trying to get the brunette to open up to her after she got buried alive and had to siphon away her mother’s life force. Hope knows a thing or two about killing your parents, but every attempt at talking ended with Hope being shut down. Soon after, ignoring Hope turned into irritation and maybe even anger. 

The tribrid eventually stopped trying because Josie would end up using her insecurities against her, and the siphoner knew everything about her so it almost broke Hope. Some days Hope thinks MG is lucky because despite having to pine after Lizzie for years, he wasn’t shut out when the twin’s mom left. Instead, he was supporting her through the grieving process and holding her during nightmares. Hope tried to do that, but all Josie did was push her away for it. 

Hope briefly wonders if that’s where she went wrong. Maybe Josie was already drowning, and Hope’s efforts were keeping her head under rather than pulling her to the surface. The Mikaelson questions if Josie has made it to the surface yet—if she finally crashed through the water and could once more breathe in oxygen. 

Sighing, Hope sits down in the hallway and waits. Waiting for what, she’s not quite sure, but she basks in Josie’s melodies and inhales her presence. She thinks about how this might be the closest she’ll be to the siphoner, in the same building but entire galaxies away from each other. 

Maybe she should move on from Josie. She’ll never stop loving her, that’s something she’s certain of. After all, the brunette was her first, but if the Saltzman twin is already trying so hard to ignore her, then why not give her what she wants. 

Tears pool around her water line, and Hope leans her head against the wall, refusing to let them spill. She’ll always care for Josie, and every bone in her body will never hesitate to protect the girl. One day, Hope will be able to let Josie go, but she just wishes she’ll be able to talk to her before that day comes. A small part of her still hopes that Josie will come back to her.

* * *

Hope is an idiot. She had one job, and that was to bring the escrima sticks for training with Rafael. They’re usually stored in the gym with the other training gear, but Hope snuck them up to practice in the privacy of her own room. 

She runs to her room, easily reaching it without breaking a sweat. Once she grabs them, she rushes to leave, ready to return to Raf but accidentally slams into someone. Hope’s werewolf senses have really been off their game. Darting forward, she wraps a hand around their waist and steadies them. Chocolate brown eyes flit through her vision, and familiar vanilla and lavender lick at her nose. 

Hope immediately pulls away, already yearning for more contact with Josie. “I, uh—” Hope stumbles over her words. “Sorry.”

Josie’s eyes widen minutely before narrowing. Usually gentle irises morph into contracted pupils, radiating hostility. All Hope can do is bite her tongue and look down, the harsh glare smouldering her insides, igniting a fire that burns deep in her abdomen and sears her organs with affliction. 

Without another word, Josie shoves her shoulder and walks past her. All Hope can think about is how normal it felt to have her arms wrapped around the brunette’s torso, and suddenly, Hope forgets how to breathe. Choking on thin air while her throat feels entirely too raw.

She’s suddenly not in the mood to train with the other werewolf.

* * *

Hope is crying. It felt like an eternity since she’s last seen her aunt Rebekah, yet here she is, standing before her like a goddess walking among mortals. Tears stream down Hope’s face, her chest heaving as she bawls. Hope’s connection with her family has felt shattered for a while now, their promise of Always and Forever lost on her. 

The tribrid sprints forward, jumping into the arms of her aunt and inhaling Chanel N°5. She cries into her shoulder while Rebekah soothingly caresses her head and whispers sweet nothings. 

“Hope Andrea Mikaelson,” Rebekah says sharply, glaring playfully. “Have you forgotten about your dear Auntie Bex?”

Hope took a half step back, wiping away the salty tears from her face. “What? Of course not.”

“Could’ve fooled me, sweetheart.” Her aunt easily wipes away the rest of her tears. “172 calls, and I still haven’t gotten a single reply.” 

Hope flounders. “Oh, uh— I may have broken my phone and forgotten about it…?” She laughs sheepishly, rubbing together sweaty palms. Her phone broke roughly two months ago after Josie blew up at her. The brunette called her controlling and manipulative, and Hope smashed her phone into a wall before stalking off, on the verge of a breakdown as the walls trembled under her flaring magic. 

“And you’ve yet to fix it or get a new one why?” Rebekah asks, almost scolds with a raised eyebrow and narrowed blue eyes.

The auburn haired girl really doesn’t have an answer to that. Aunt Freya only called during emergencies, and her friends lived in the same building as her. She’s been just fine without one.

“I never got around to it.” Hope shrugs, acting nonchalantly. 

Rebekah hums in reply, not believing her niece. “Very well. Shall I take you out for food? We can catch up and trash talk about the vampires in Paris.”

Hope giggles, immersing herself into the joyful and warm feeling she receives while being around her aunt. It’s been so long since she’s seen her aunt, and she missed her dearly.

\- 

They end up at a high end restaurant by the outskirts of Mystic Falls. Rebekah compelled the hostess into giving them a table despite not having prior reservation. Conversation between them is light and seamless like, talking about Marcel, the vampire community in France, Aunt Freya and Keelin, and Kol and Davina. 

Then they slowly shifted topics to Hope and school and any potential lovers. “So… how are you and your secret lover?” Rebekah asks with a mischievous glint in his eyes. “I know the last time we talked, you were helplessly in love but refused to tell me who the person was.” 

Hope’s stomach drops, her mouth dry as she desperately gulps down water. Her skin is buzzing, and her heart is heavy, feeling like the organ doesn’t have enough blood pumping through it. “It’s a little complicated,” Hope chokes out, not knowing a better way to answer. 

“Oh, pray tell,” her aunt prods with a knowing smirk, taking another bite of her lamb ragu. 

“It’s just,” Hope sighs, mentally preparing to spill her guts while playing with her salad. “The person I was dating, they went through something traumatic and ended up shutting me out.”

Rebekah nods solemnly in understanding. “Then give them their space. When they work through their feelings, they’ll eventually come back to their senses and finally speak to you.”

“I hope so,” Hope grumbles, looking anywhere but at her aunt. Then she whispers the second part to herself, “She’s caused us enough pain already.”

With her enhanced hearing, Rebekah hears Hope’s whispers and a wave of empathy floods through her. “Darling, truly, what happened?”

Every wall Hope has built around her crumbles, breaking under the weight of her aunt’s pitying gaze. So Hope tells her everything—from when she first started connecting with Josie, to their first kiss, then on to their first date, and followed by their confessions of love. Hope’s breathing becomes erratic as she recounts the memories of their relationship spiraling. 

When Josette Laughlin once more passed away, she tells Rebekah about the twins’ grief and how Josie began ignoring her and brushing off any attempts at physical touch. Then she briefly mentions the numerous insults Josie attacked her pride with. Rebekah appeared as if she wanted to murder someone by the end of it, most likely Josie herself, but Hope would never allow for that. She would fight her own aunt if it meant protecting Josie, which causes her thoughts to reel.

Has Hope’s feelings for Josie really surpassed that of her love for family? The Mikaelsons promise Always and Forever, and Hope never promised anything to Josie at all. The tribrid only gave the siphoner her heart, hoping that would be enough. Yet Hope finds herself ready to fight her family, the very people she would kill for, if they were to ever lay a hand on the Saltzman. 

-

After a rather emotional lunch date with her aunt, Hope is left in her room, sitting in front of her easel and canvas. Rebekah craved for blood, briefly leaving in search of locals to feed on. So the auburn haired girl listens to her jazz music while delicately stroking paint and mixing colors. 

It’s only a rough outline of the background so far, but with enough time, it will transform into poppy fields with her aunt Rebekah dancing fluidly in the middle. The idea dawned on her when the blonde Mikaelson was coaxing her to dance to a Lady Gaga song earlier that day. Hope felt ridiculous doing so, but it was liberating and such a carefree moment of bliss. 

Hope accidentally smears blue across her aunt’s figure in the middle of the painting when the tribrid’s door is viciously smacked open. She whips around, ready to fight whoever was careless enough to not knock on her door. 

Lizzie struts towards her, a worried expression creasing her normally soft features. “Josie’s missing, and my insides are literally burning from the inside out.”

Hope’s entire body tenses and bile rises up into her throat. “What? Go find Dr. Saltzman, and I’ll do a locator spell.”

The auburn haired girl is spiraling; questions and anxieties crash through her skull. Lizzie grasps her shoulder, forcing Hope to look into deep cerulean eyes. “My dad left when he found out Rebekah was feeding on locals, and I already did a locator spell. I just need backup, so let’s go.”

Backup? Hope Mikaelson, the tribrid freak, daughter of the Great Evil, a crescent wolf, is degraded to the title of backup. She remembers a time when she was the hero, saving everyone from imminent danger. 

Hope realizes how truly insignificant she is after being crammed into the back seat of the Jeep Wrangler with all of her friends. MG drives, not trusting Lizzie to do so while she’s experiencing rather painful twin pain. She’s sandwiched in between Rafael and Kaleb who are speaking to each other as if she isn’t sitting in the middle of them. She briefly wonders why they didn’t sit next to each other in the first place. 

The five of them are on their way to Blackbird, Delaware which should be roughly a four hour drive, but MG is racing across the highway, passing every car and switching swiftly between lanes. So Hope thinks they’ll be there in three hours instead. 

Her wolf is snarling inside of her, threatening to break free because it wants to forget about the fear building up in her gut and simply wants to run free. Once she knows Josie is safe, she’ll be sure to transform into a wolf and have a release, but for now, she’ll recount every death spell she has ingrained in her memory. Kidnapping and torturing anyone Hope cares for will result in the death of the abductor. 

Hope shouldn’t care as much as she does, but she can’t help it. Despite the months of degrading and shaming, she can never quite bring herself to hate the brunette. She knows Josie is grieving, lashing out because she’s yet to learn how to live with the trauma, so Hope continues to give her a pass, letting the Saltzman twin walk all over her in hopes that one day she’ll return to the tribrid. 

By the time they’re driving through a thick forest in Delaware, Hope feels like knives are being grated against her skull. Unfortunately, bubbling anxiety and a car full of teenagers causes a raging headache, and Hope is just about ready to lash out in annoyance. Before she has the chance to though, Lizzie is telling MG to pull over, and in the distance, Hope can make out the outline of a stone church building. 

Hope was born in a church. Her mom died in a church. They’re never a good sign. 

The second the car stops, an ear piercing shriek reverberates through the area and chills Hope to the bone. Panicking, she flings open the passenger door with a flick of her wrist and leaps over Rafael, rushing towards the church building. 

“Hope! You can’t just—” someone shouts out to her, but she shuts them out, focusing on the smell of blood and an elevated heart beat. Without conscious thought, she transforms into her wolf, ripping apart her clothes before running full force into wooden doors. 

Josie is chained to a stake, streaked with crimson. There are numerous witches, a few chanting while most just watch her bleed. Snarling, Hope leaps at them and rips through their necks, jaw snapping through bones. 

“It’s the Mikaelson freak! Kill it!” a witch screeches as they slam her into a wall, keeping her pressed against it with magic. Feral growls wrench through her throat as she helplessly watches as scarlet seeps through Josie’s clothes.

Lizzie, MG, Rafael, and Kaleb storm in a second later, hurtling the kidnappers across the room and knocking out others. “It’s another siphoner nutcase! Kill her!” another witch bellows.

When the witch trapping Hope is knocked out, she immediately returns to mauling them. It’s absolute carnage as she viciously tears through their ranks, and only three are left standing before a metal rod impales her stomach. 

The pain forces her back into human form, and blood leaks from the edges around the metal. Pain spreads through her like a wildfire, searing at the point of entry. Crying out, Hope yanks the rod out of her abdomen and covers the gaping wound. Siphoning from MG, Lizzie recites a sleep spell and knocks out the last three witches. 

She awkwardly limps towards Josie, praying to whatever deity that she’ll be okay. The tribrid is uncaring that she’s stark naked, only concerned for the brunette still chained to the stake. Rafael tosses his flannel at her, and she slips it on while she watches MG and Kaleb break the chains. 

Josie’s limp body immediately falls forward—the sixteen year old barely conscious—and Hope is quick to catch her, groaning when her torso stretches uncomfortably and further bleeds out. Lizzie and Hope quickly heal her wounds, starting from the deeper more severe injuries and working through to the small bruises lingering on her skin. 

Lizzie holds her sister in her lap, stroking her hair and holding her close. Hope can’t help it when she reaches for Josie’s hand, massaging her knuckles in the familiar way that she used to. By then, the brunette is drifting back to reality, becoming fully conscious and aware of her surroundings, and for once, she isn’t glaring at Hope. She looks grateful with a small smile on her lips. 

Hope zones out for a few seconds, watching as Josie’s tongue delicately licks her pink lips. Although she immediately looks away from her when MG speaks up, “We should go before they wake up and try to attack once more.”

Hope’s gaze darts across the room and clenches her jaw. A part of her wants to kill the ones that were only knocked out. The entire coven should be punished for their atrocities. But for the first time in months, Hope is holding onto Josie, and she doesn’t want to let go. Regrettably though, she has to let go when Kaleb dips down to carry Josie to the car. 

The seating arrangements change, and fortunately, they appease Hope’s wants. MG is driving with Kaleb riding shotgun, and Josie sits between Hope and Lizzie. Rafael lies in the trunk, comfortably taking a nap while they have to drive for another four hours. Even though Josie is curled up into Lizzie, she’s still close to Hope and isn’t trying to actively ignore her. 

The radio is playing chill R&B music, and the atmosphere is comfortable and safe. It lasts all but a few minutes because suddenly, Lizzie’s phone is ringing obnoxiously, creating a throbbing in Hope’s skull. 

“Shit! I can’t talk to him!” she freaks out, tossing the phone to MG who accidentally swerves the car roughly at the action. “He likes you more!”

MG quickly throws the phone to Kaleb, saying, “I’m driving!”

“Aw hell nah! He hates me.” He lobs the phone backwards at Hope. 

“He’ll kill me,” Hope complains, shoving the phone towards the blonde. 

Lizzie pushes it back towards the tribrid. “What do you mean? He loves you! The damaged and traumatized Hope Mikaelson can do no wrong.”

Hope rolls her eyes at that and answers the phone but drops it into Josie’s lap. The chocolate brown eyed girl gasps and glares at Hope before sweetly greeting, “Hi Dad.”

With a cheeky smirk, Hope teasingly winks at the siphoner. Josie shakes her head, but her features easily split into a grin. Hope’s insides flutter at the sight, missing Josie’s adorable smile.

Eavesdropping with her heightened hearing, Alaric frustratedly asks, “ _Are you even listening to me!_ ”

“What? Sorry Dad,” Josie looks away, “We’ll be home soon. Don’t worry, Lizzie and I just went out for a bit.”

“ _Is it just you two? I can’t find Hope, MG, Kaleb, or Raf anywhere._ ” He questions, almost accusingly. 

“Yeah, they’re with us too,” Josie blurts out and hangs up, “Okay, love you, bye!”

Hope chuckles, pain shooting up her abdomen as she joyfully shakes with laughter. It feels so natural to be around the brunette, and she missed her quirks and cute antics. Soon, Josie is laughing with her, and the rest of the teenagers glance at them like they’re going insane. When Josie accidentally snorts, Hope loses it completely, her chest heaving as she wheezes.

* * *

After sneaking to her room half naked, she’s met with her aunt Rebekah who looks entirely too displeased and exasperated. “It’s midnight, Hope. Midnight. Care to explain why you’re barely clothed and smell like blood.”

Hope unconsciously holds her abdomen, the wound only half healed. “I went for a run,” Hope says nonchalantly, shrugging her shoulders.

“Mhm.” Rebekah narrows her eyes and crosses her arms further. “That doesn’t explain why you’re bleeding.”

“I got hit by a car…?” Hope replies indifferently and goes to her dresser, grabbing a hoodie and some shorts to sleep in. 

“I’m not an idiot Hope!” Her aunt throws up her arms, obviously vexed. “I would know if a wolf was running willy nilly around Mystic Falls! Let alone if it was hit by a bloody car!”

The tribrid’s shoulders sag as she sighs and turns toward her aunt. “Fine, I was out on a rescue mission—”

“Hope!”

“—but everyone is okay! I’m _okay._ ” 

Aunt Rebekah takes a long exhale, calming down her rising anger. She reaches forward, pulling Hope into a tight embrace. “I’m glad you’re safe. It’s just… being a Mikaelson, you’re already considered a threat to many. The weight of your name bears so much pain and grief to others, but you’re a tribrid as well. Many will fear you, and many more will try to kill you for it.”

Of course Hope already knows all of this. Her mom and dad repeatedly cautioned her about the Mikaelson name, and they constantly reminded her of the hate hybrids received, perceiving them as abominations. 

“I know Auntie Bex.” Hope nods against her neck. 

“I love you, Hope.”

-

Returning from her shower, Hope finds Rebekah already buried under her covers, so she sneaks out of the room. She is desperately in need of something to eat. After bleeding out and only eating snacks for the past ten hours, she is in dire need of an actual meal. 

Hope smells vanilla and lavender before she enters the kitchen. She hesitates, not knowing how Josie will react to her presence, but figures it’ll be okay. They were smiling and laughing with each other, so they’ll be okay.

Josie is sitting on a metal table, eating a sandwich and humming peacefully. She’s facing away from the entryway, so Hope doesn’t greet her and opens the fridge, reaching for leftover lasagna that was served during lunch. She kicks closed the fridge with her foot. Josie jumps off the table at the sound, whipping around with a hand held towards Hope, the other still holding her sandwich.

Hope raises the tray, saying, “Don’t hurt the lasagna.”

“Jesus, Hope!” Josie lowers her hand and glares at her. It feels like Josie is cutting her open and leaving her to dry with just her gaze alone. “You could’ve told me you were here!”

Hope shrugs, looking away from the brunette’s smouldering brown irises. She grabs a plate and a knife, ignoring the Saltzman twin while she cuts a large slice for herself. Josie’s breathing is harsh, grating against Hope’s ears as she microwaves her food. 

Hope hears something fall and snaps her head towards Josie. Her eyes are closed, and her entire body is trembling as she stands in the middle of the kitchen. Focusing on her chemosignals, Hope inhales the scent of fear and… hopelessness? Hope almost laughs sardonically at the thought of that irony, but she doesn’t and returns her focus to Josie.

“Jo, are you okay?”

Hearing no response, Hope creeps closer to her, reaching for her right hand. She uncurls her fingers, and massages her knuckles. A tear slips down Josie’s cheek, then another and another. Her breathing eventually calms, and when she opens her eyes, they’re glazed over and are empty and devoid of emotion. 

“You should’ve let me die.”

Hope’s entire body stills. Her stomach plummets. “What?”

Her eyes open, and they’re ablaze with sudden rage. Josie rips her hand from Hope and pushes against her chest, forcing Hope to take a step back. The siphoner’s voice is thick with fury when she chokes out, “You should’ve let me die!”

Hope inhales sharply, and magic thrums through her veins, begging to be released. “You’ve got to be kidding me,” Hope snaps out. 

Josie pushes against her chest again, but Hope doesn’t move an inch. Tears are still pooling in her eyes as Josie continually slaps Hope’s chest. “I don’t know why you couldn’t just leave me to die!”

She grabs Josie’s wrists, stopping her assault. “I have tried…” Hope breathes out, barely containing her temper. “I have tried to give you your space. You needed to heal, and I was giving you the space to do so. But— but—”

Hope releases her wrists and takes a step back. “God Josie! Saying I should’ve let you die? You haven’t spoken more than a sentence to me in the past month, and now this is the shit you say to me? No. _No._ You don’t get to do this.”

“You killed a dozen people in that church, Hope!” Josie points at her accusingly. “If you let me—”

“Let you what? _Burn at the stake_ like it’s the freakin Salem Witch Trials?!” Hope throws her hands up, and the lights above spark and flicker.

“It would’ve been better than you massacring an entire witch coven!”

Hope is seconds away from breaking something. “I finally understand now,” Hope bites out, her tone bitter. “I’ll never be good enough for you.”

Josie clenches her jaw and looks away. Hope laughs mirthlessly and leaves, forgetting about her food. She feels like someone immersed her in lava—her entire world burning at the seams.


	2. Love Is Such A Fickle Thing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is dedicated to the few who wanted more <3
> 
> tw// mentions alcohol

With every passing second, Hope feels weighed down. There’s a pressure on her chest, one that equates to the entire Empire State building sitting on her sternum and collapsing her rib cage. Some days that pressure makes it a struggle to breathe; and other days, Hope’s lungs give out entirely, forcing her into sobs as she desperately gasps for air.

And it’s all because of Josie.

Hope hates herself. She’s a groveling mess, always glancing at the Saltzman twin and watching over her like some accursed guardian angel. She’s waiting, constantly waiting. There’s a large part of her that Hope tries to tuck away and forget about—it’s the part of her that clings to this twisted hopefulness, this _desperation_ that Josie will one day snap out of it. Hope practically begs whatever divine force that the brunette will come running back to her and start loving her again.

Is it possible to fall out of love? Or did Josie Saltzman simply never love her to begin with?

But that would make Josie a liar because Hope has memories engraved in the deepest parts of her brain, those of which are Josie saying “I love you” to her. 

Hope still remembers the first time Josie said those three words to her. 

_Earlier that day Hope was investigating a vampire faction with Marcel in Maryland. He didn’t want her to come with him, but it was a little late for refusals considering Hope sneaked inside the trunk of his car and concealed herself with a multitude of spells._

_So Marcel let her tag along as they followed a lead on rare dark objects, although he didn’t disclose any of the objects’ magical properties to her. They mingled with the local vampires at a dingy bar, and when Marcel made an interesting discovery, he dragged Hope to a Denny’s for lunch._

_Before they left for home, Hope stopped by at a street vendor, buying a sterling silver triquetra pendant. She inherited a fortune from her parents, mainly her father when they died, but since she wasn’t eighteen at the time, she was left with her personal savings._

_Marcel raised a brow and smirked at her, “Don’t tell me you’re messing with nature magic of the Celtics now.”_

_“Nothing like that.” Hope’s face flushed, thinking about how she would gift this to Josie. “It’s just a symbol that will serve as a reminder to someone.”_

_“Is this a special someone?” Marcel’s voice was playful, hinting at something more._

_“You could say that,” Hope murmured, fiddling with the pendant while avoiding Marcel’s curious gaze._

_“Rebekah’s going to love hearing about this.”_

_Heat spread through her face, reddening the tips of her ears and flushing her cheeks._

_When Marcel dropped her off at the Salvatore School, she immediately went to work. Hope stayed up until four in the morning, working tirelessly as she imbued magic into the pendant. The ritual she was performing would take at least a few days for a normal witch to do, but seeing as Hope was a powerful supernatural and fiercely determined to finish, she completed it the next morning._

_Her aunt Freya taught it to her; it consisted of the same principles that the barrier at their New Orleans home used. The barrier spell was linked to her aunt’s life force and magic supply, making it next to impossible to take down unless Freya herself was dying._

_So that night as magic cracked through her skull and surged through her veins, Hope managed to link the pendant with her own magic supply which would allow Josie access to a portable reservoir of magic to siphon. Hope decided she would need to make something similar for Lizzie one day soon, but that was a task for future Hope._

_Josie would never admit it, but she had a soft spot for stuffed animals, so Hope grabbed a stuffed bear—the same one Josie would snuggle with the few times she’s slept over in Hope’s room. With her shitty cutting and sewing skills, Hope hid the pendant inside the bear along with a note._

_The next night as Josie was spooning her—she always liked to be the big spoon—Hope felt her heart rate increase. She was thinking it over, questioning if now was the right time to give Josie the present. When Hope huffed, annoyed that she had to psyche herself up for such a small display of her affection, Josie kissed along the nape of her neck and tightened her hold on Hope’s waist._

_“What’s wrong?” Josie asked, running her fingers over Hope’s bare abdomen—her shirt hiked up a bit in their position. Hope melted into the touch, relaxing further into Josie’s embrace._

_“I have something I want to give you.” Hope turned to face Josie and admired the depths of her mocha irises. She reached up and tucked a strand of brunette behind Josie’s ear. They leaned into each other softly pressing their lips together until Josie ran her tongue along Hope’s bottom lip and bit down, drawing out a whine from the older girl._

_Hope pulled back first, kissing Josie’s temple before rolling out of bed. She rummaged through her dresser and returned to the bed with the stuffed bear._

_“Sergeant Buns!” Josie gasped and immediately grabbed for the stuffed animal. She cuddled it to her chest before giving Hope a curious look. “Why were they in your dresser?”_

_“Uh,” Hope toyed with the hem of her shirt, swallowing thickly. “I’m giving you Sergeant Buns. They had surgery recently and need a good cuddle buddy.”_

_“Surgery?” Josie sat up and linked together their hands. Hope relished in the feeling, loving Josie’s smooth palms and the comfort of the simple contact. “Did they have a heart transplant or something?”_

_“Yeah something like that,” Hope laughed sheepishly, her cheeks quickly becoming warm. “But you’ll need to do surgery on them once more. Only in an emergency though.”_

_Josie snorted, her nose scrunching. “I’m not going to rip open Sergeant Buns. Besides,” her voice softened, almost a whisper, “why are you giving them to me? Wasn’t your mom the one to give you them?”_

_“She did,” Hope murmured, a sad smile on her lips. Hope wondered if her chest would always feel constricted when her parents were brought up. “But Jo, just take them. You’re the only one I trust with Sergeant Buns anyway.”_

_Josie enveloped her in a hug, the warmth spread through Hope’s body. The loneliness of losing her parents was slowly whisked away. And as Josie straddled her hips and nipped at the skin of her throat, Hope felt the familiar heat pool between her thighs and surge through her lower stomach._

_When Josie’s lips returned to her own, their tongues danced against one another as Hope easily gained dominance over the kiss. Josie grinded down into Hope, and she pushed up with her hips, needing more friction. But as they leaned apart, desperately trying to catch their breaths, Josie looked down at her with the gentlest expression, eyes exuding waves of tenderness._

_Josie skimmed her fingertips over Hope’s cheekbones. “I love you.”_

_Hope’s breath caught, eyes tracing over every inch of Josie’s features. Her hearing picked up on their heartbeats, and oddly enough, they were beating in perfect synchronicity._

_“I lo—” Josie clasped her hand over Hope’s mouth, shushing the girl._

_“I don’t expect you to say it back,” Josie insisted, staring at Hope. “I just needed you to know.”_

_Hope nodded her head, eyes boring into Josie’s. When the Saltzman twin uncovered her lips, Hope whispered, “I know, Jo. You… you deserve the world.”_

_Josie’s entire face lit up, as if she didn’t know how much she truly meant to Hope. Josie meant everything to Hope._

She still does.

With every cell in her tribrid enhanced body, Hope wants to know where everything went wrong. It was the twins’ birthday when their biological mother was resurrected, and then their mother buried Josie alive. 

God, how was she even breathing under all that dirt?

MG helped her rescue Josie, and Hope spent the rest of the night washing off all of the dirt and grime from the brunette until Lizzie dragged her away for something important. Hope later found out that they had to siphon away Josette Laughlin from the world of the living, and when Josie came back to Hope’s room, they held each other close while Josie sobbed into Hope’s shirt. 

The lights remained on, Josie possessing a new found fear of the dark, and the brunette eventually cried herself to sleep and Hope followed soon after. And when Hope woke up to an empty bed, she immediately searched for Josie. She ignored Hope completely, brushing her off and leaning away from her touch. 

It was like she didn’t recognize Hope.

Hope can’t even explain the dread that weighed down her bones. 

What happened in the span of a night that caused Josie to _despise_ her?

Even when Hope brought it up with Lizze, the blonde would simply say she didn’t know what was causing Josie to act differently either but it would be best if Hope gave her space. The worst part about that encounter was that Lizzie didn’t have her usual _flamboyancy_ either—there was no snark or lighthearted banter.

Hope hates that she doesn’t understand how everything could go to shit so easily.

* * *

Hope wants to cry. She was digging through her drawers, looking for a bottle of tequila she had hidden there, when she spotted a Lewis Capaldi shirt. 

Too many memories are attached to it, all of which included one Josette Saltzman. Although one particular memory now feels like knives are raking through her chest, leaving her to bleed. 

_It was the weekend after thanksgiving, they were holed up in Hope’s room watching_ Cutthroat Kitchen _on her laptop. They were laughing all night, the head chef making one too many puns and witty statements._

_At the end of an episode, Hope went to play the next one, but Josie closed the laptop and tugged on Hope, making her straddle the brunette._

_“I want you to paint me,” the words tumbled out of her lips shyly, but her eyes were gleaming, like she knew Hope wouldn’t refuse._

_Hope smirked and winked at the girl under her. “Sure, I’ll paint you like one of my French girls.”_

_Josie giggled, the sound sweet to her ears. “No, I mean,” she bit her lip for a second, “I want you to paint on my skin, my back more specifically.”_

_Hope smiled at her, love exuded from every inch of her features. She leaned down, her lips ghosting the shell of Josie’s ear, “Are you sure you don’t want me to paint your stomach,” Hope paused before her voice lowered sultrily. “It’ll be more fun.”_

_Josie hummed, her hips canting up against Hope, needing the friction. The brunette then pulled off her shirt, only clad in a lacey teal bra. She tugged at Hope’s hand, pressing her palm against her sternum. “My body and heart are yours, Hope Mikaelson.”_

_That night she decisively stroked paint across the expanse of Josie’s back, creating a Bob Ross-esque scenery that resembled the forests in Mystic Falls. Although, she veered from the teachings of Bob Ross and painted a brunette girl clad in her silk_ Mulan _pajamas, facing a white snarling wolf._

_At the time Hope didn’t realize it, but she was smudging and blending together paint in an attempt to recreate a memory. The first time Josie met Hope in her wolf form, the siphoner was still in her pajamas while she avidly searched for Hope in the darkness of midnight._

_Hope had the urgent need to shift in the middle of the night, so she ripped herself away from Josie’s hold and stalked through the forest as a wolf. Josie was foolish for walking around in the forest at night all by herself, but nevertheless, she found Hope and was excited to finally meet her as a wolf._

_Hope took several pictures, thrilled to show her girlfriend the finished project. Although half way through the creation of the body art, Josie fell asleep and Hope felt like a jackass having to wake her up. She considered not waking her, but she didn’t want to risk keeping the paint on Josie and having her skin react to it badly._

_So after lulling her into the land of consciousness, Josie pouting and trying to sleep more, Hope was able to coax her into the shower. She cleaned her of the paint and soothingly washed her hair, all while keeping her intentions pure and comforting, not wanting to incite something sexual when Josie was already exhausted._

_Hope inhaled the sweet scent of vanilla and lavender as they cuddled together in bed. That night they fell asleep peacefully._

More than ever, Hope desperately needs the tequila. She wants to forget about the feeling of misery that always ensues every time she remembers a moment in time where Josie loved her so freely.

* * *

A few days later, Rebekah returns to Marcel in Paris. After her blowout with Josie, Hope decides to leave for the weekend. Despite graduation and summer break being in three weeks, asking Alaric for permission is easier than expected. He allows her to leave with a simple, “Of course, stay safe.” 

She hates to think about graduating. The Salvatore Boarding School has become her second home, and the people living within its walls have become something akin to family in the last few years. Hope has talked about college and overall plans for the future with the guidance counselor, Ms. Tig, but the future has always been a terrifying idea for her.

Hope has gotten accepted into UNO, USC, UVA, and NYU, and eventually made the decision to attend the University of Southern California in the fall. She had to make the decision last month, and seeing as everything felt as if it was still burning at its seams, she couldn’t wait to run away from all of her problems and take refuge in the West Coast.

Thinking back to it now, maybe running away isn’t the best decision, but attending USC could be the new beginning she so urgently needs.

Using her now fixed phone—Rebekah went with her to fix it—she calls Freya. Hope is spread out on her bed, listening to her phone buzz before her aunt answers, “Hope?”

“Hi Aunt Freya!”

“Hi love.” Hope knows she’s smiling. “Did you finally fix your phone?”

“How did you know it was broken?” Her eyebrows furrow as she stares at her ceiling, eyes tracing over the glowing star stickers. Hope’s chest almost collapses as memories bloom inside her head, reminding her of the day Josie stuck them up there with her. She could’ve easily done a translucense spell to see the actual stars, but the brunette insisted, and well, Hope could never say no to her.

Aunt Freya lets out a soft laugh. “Either that or you’ve forgotten about me.”

“Auntie Bex told me something similar when she visited.” Hope smothers a pillow into her face, forcing herself to forget about the brunette. “But uhm, I’m flying over for a visit. I have time over the weekend, and I miss you, Keelin and Nik too.”

“That’s great, Sweety! Text me what time your flight will land, and we’ll pick you up. I love you!”

“I love you, too,” Hope whispers, wanting the ground to swallow her whole.

* * *

Hope misses this. The loving and gentle looks her aunts give each other, the small hands of Nik as he pulls her towards his toys, the humidity of New Orleans. She doesn’t miss all of the heartbreak this city has caused her, but it’s still her home.

As they cook dinner that night, Hope is put on cutting duty because after one mistake she made when she was thirteen, Aunt Freya no longer trusts her around a lit stove. The conversation is light, her chest warm as she laughs at jokes Keelin cracks.

It isn’t until she’s setting up the dinner table that Hope decides she’s no longer hungry. Nik is already sitting in his wooden high chair, watching as his family moves around him and occasionally slapping the table in front of him. Her aunts are setting out the food, and Freya asks, “How are the Saltzmans? Is Alaric still a crap father?”

Hope swallows thickly, sitting down and serving herself some vegetables. “Without Caroline around much, Dr. Saltzman is left to be both a father and a headmaster. He just needs to fix his priorities, that’s all.”

“What about the twins?” Keelin questions as she bites into some cajun pasta, practically moaning, “God, I love your cooking Freya.”

Hope inhales sharply before forcing on a face of indifference. “They’re doing good. Lizzie is happily in love and is still as witty as ever. And… Josie, she’s still learning how to grieve.”

“Why’d your heart stutter?” Keelin said nonchalantly while feeding Nik airplanes of food. 

“What?” Hope’s fork clinks against her plate, her body tensing.

“Sorry Hope,” she apologizes, noticing how uncomfortable Hope looks. “Unconscious werewolf hearing.”

“Are you okay, sweetheart?” Freya wipes her mouth with a napkin. “We don’t mean to pry, but we love you and want to make sure everything is going smoothly back at school.”

Hope sighs, knowing it’s always better to let out her feelings. “I’m in love with Josie.”

“I knew she’s a sapphic!” Freya cheers and grabs at Keelin’s waist. “Rebekah owes me now.”

“ _Freya!_ ” Keelin scolds her.

“Sorry, sorry. Continue Hope.”

Hope’s heart rises to her throat, but she smiles sadly, playing with her food. “We dated for a year, but uh, being buried alive then having to siphon the magic that’s keeping her bio-mom alive can cause a lot of trauma. Especially when it happened during her sweet sixteen.”

Tension clogs in the air, and the silence is thick enough for Hope to listen in on their heartbeats and breathing patterns. Even Nik sits quietly, glancing at his moms. 

“Hope, I—” Freya is cut off when Hope screeches back her chair.

“It’s okay, really,” Hope forces a smile, trying to reassure the adults. “It happened a while ago, no need to worry. I’m going to head to bed though, thank you for dinner.”

Hope rushes to her room, wishing so dearly that she could forget the brunette.

* * *

“Preitori Speculo,” Hope whispers, magic tingling right under her skin. Nik giggles joyfully as he looks up, watching the stars above him gleam despite being inside his room. 

Nik curls into Hope’s side, his face seemingly set in a permanent state of awe. They’re squished together on the toddler’s bed, Hope feeling awfully cramped but enjoying being with her cousin nonetheless. He’s grown a bit since she’s last visited, and he’s even showing signs of magic.

“Who’s Josie?” Nik asks softly, curiosity spilling from his dark brown eyes. 

“Well,” Hope runs her fingers through his brown curls. “She’s an amazing witch, very strong. And she always wants to learn more, whether about magic, plants, or other people.”

“And she’s…” Hope falters for a second, and Nik just stares at her, waiting patiently. “She’s compassionate, doing so much for others and little for herself. Even now, she still won’t take care of herself.”

“Is that why you love her?” he nuzzles into her shoulder, beginning to doze off.

“Yeah, that’s a part of the reason,” Hope’s voice is quiet, barely a whisper. “But love is such a fickle thing.” 

Hope begins to nod off, listening to the whistling wind and Nik’s small snores.  
Before Hope can completely slip into the arms of Morpheus, her aunt Freya shakes her shoulders with a worried expression. She opens her eyes, a furrow to her brows, and sleepily asks, “What’s wrong?”

“It’s the Salvatore School. They’re under attack.”

* * *

An irrational part of Hope’s brain took over. It allowed for her wolf form to take over, and her mind shifted into autopilot as her paws reached forward, propelling her through dark forests and plains.

A flight to Virginia from Louisiana is four hours, but that doesn’t include traveling to the airport and having to deal with boarding. And if Hope really tries, she can run as fast as cars. 

She’s ran for six hours by the time her muscles begin to cramp, her body feeling like hot coals are simmering against her skin. Hope pushes forward, knowing that if she stops, she won’t make it there on time.

Twenty minutes later while she’s running across a street, a car screeches to a halt in front of her, and Hope tries to stop, accidentally tripping over her paws and tumbling across asphalt. The asphalt digs into her coat, breaking through skin.

“Shit Hope!” someone curses, running towards her. She immediately rolls to her feet, snarling at whoever is near her.

“Woah,” the person raises their hands, backing up the slightest step. “It’s Raf. You know me.”

Hope growls, her head entirely too foggy and in too much of a rush to understand his words. 

“I’m here to take you back to school,” he says, opening up the passenger car door. “You know, the Salvatore Boarding School where Josie and Lizzie are at.”

Hope lets out the smallest whine at hearing the twins’ names, and she trots off behind a few trees, forcing herself to morph back into a human. Her bones crack disgustingly, and she has to focus on her human senses as her body transforms back. 

When she’s completely in her human form, Hope walks stark naked to the car and settles in the back seat. She cusses when she realizes there’s an elongated scratch on her side that’s bleeding out but brushes off the pain, knowing it will heal. Rafael starts up the car and says, “There are, uhm, you have a change of clothes in the duffle bag back there.”

Hope opens the duffle and immediately glares at the back of Rafael’s head. “Who packed these clothes?”

He gulps, shifting in his seat as they race across a freeway. “Does it matter?”

Hope growls annoyed, and she notices the glow of golden in the corners of her vision. She inhales sharply, reigning in her aggression and pulls on a bra, a dandelion yellow hoodie, and blue jeans. 

The hoodie isn’t even hers, despite it holding a home at the bottom of her dresser drawers. Hope stole it from Josie during the winter, and it’s a size too large on her, the sleeves pooling around her wrists. It still smells like vanilla and lavender, and Hope thinks this must be some kind of sick and twisted joke.

As she slips on sneakers, she questions, “How did you find me?”

“Locator spell,” he replies easily, raising up a map for Hope to see. “Josie used a vile of your blood from the werewolf bite supply.”

Hope can’t help the way her heart lurches. Josie did the spell?

“What’s the situation at school?” she asks, biting her lip. Freya informed her that a witch coven has enforced a blockade on the school, giving them 12 hours to hand over the twins and the tribrid. If the three girls aren’t given up after the 12 hours have ended, they’re going to wage war on the school and slaughter every supernatural there.

“Nothing has happened aside from the blockade,” he notifies, glancing back at her. “Josie had to beg Dr. Saltzman to let someone use the underground tunnels to come and find you. Kaleb overheard on a call that you went batshit and ran away.”

“I didn’t even realize she cared enough to ask someone to come find me,” Hope grits out, bitter and still hurt.

“She still loves you Hope,” Rafael sighs, further flooring the gas pedal. “You have to know that.”

“I don’t think calling someone an abomination is a declaration of love,” Hope snaps, feeling her canines sharpen. She has to force herself to breathe. “Let alone ignoring someone for two months and a half.”

“Love is a complicated thing.”

“You think I don’t know that!” Hope snarls and magic swells in her chest, thrums through her bloodstream. 

“Sorry,” Rafael mumbles and slows down at a harsh curve of the street.

She pulls up the collar of the hoodie and lets out a muffled scream. Hope is usually in total control of her powers, but lately, everything feels like it can’t be restrained.

* * *

They reach the boarding school with only two hours to spare. They sneak in through the tunnels, and when they reach Alaric’s office, she’s immediately smushed into a group hug.

Lizzie, MG, Kaleb and even Jed wrap their arms around her, and it feels… comforting. In the past two years, Hope has built a lot of bonds, but if Josie hadn’t tried so hard to be friends with her in the first place, Hope still would have walls built so high that wouldn’t allow for any form of relationships. 

The second the hug breaks away, a sharp pain blooms across her cheek. When she looks up, lightly shaking her head after feeling like her brain was rattled too quickly, Lizzie is glaring at her and crossing her arms.

“What the hell was that for Lizzie!” 

“For being a royal pain in my ass, Mikaelson!” Lizzie snaps, and MG holds her hand, trying to placate the blonde. “Josie almost got herself killed because she was trying to sneak away and find you after you went rogue.”

“Why does everyone insist that Josie gives two shits about me,” Hope growls, her fists trembling. “She so obviously doesn’t that at this point I’m concerned for everyone’s social cue skills and body language reading.” 

“Oh please, cut it with the sob story,” Lizzie scoffs. “She still sleeps with Sergeant Buns, her home screen is the portrait you painted on her back, and the talisman you gave her on our sixteenth is still hanging from her neck. She’s going on a self-destructive war path where she’s pushing you away because for some moronic, self-deprecating reason, she believes that she doesn’t deserve you. And you’re _letting her do it_.”

Hope pauses, genuinely befuddled by the information. 

“I will willingly let you head dive and see into my memories,” Hope says sharply but her composure is calm. “Everytime she so much as looks at me, it’s filled with malice. And the other day she tried to convince me that I should’ve _let her die_. If anything, she thinks I’m undeserving of her.”

Lizzie furrows her eyebrows, frowning at Hope. Hasn’t everyone been able to see the disconnect between her and Josie?

“Josie’s weird behavior aside, we need to tweak our game plan now that Hope’s here,” Rafael mentions, being the voice of reason.

They huddle together, covering who’s guarding which entrances and who will safeguard the children. Offensive spells are shared and proper takedown moves are reminded. Everyone agrees to keep the casualties at a minimum on either side, meaning no purposely killing the witch coven lest their lives are in immediate danger.

Hope is assigned the west wing entrance near the dorms to guard, and it isn’t until she inhales the scent of lavender and vanilla that she instantly turns away. Lizzie nonchalantly told Hope to keep watch here, so she should’ve known it was one of the blonde’s ploys for another confrontation. 

Hope doesn’t fall for it though, pleased that her senses are still sharp enough to let her avoid such situations. She heads to the front entrance, knowing most likely that the attackers will focus their attention to the front of the building.

Although, she stops in place when glass breaking careens through her hearing. A shrill scream rings out, and Hope’s body moves on its own, darting back to the dorms. 

Josie struggles in the middle of the hallway with a witch strangling her and murmuring an incantation. With a flick of her wrist, Hope places a sleeping spell onto the opposing witch, and they collapse with a hard thud. 

After Josie catches her breath, gasping wildly for air, Hope prepares herself for the usual callous stare and blatant disgust, but it never comes. Josie nods her head almost imperceptibly, almost as a sign of gratitude. 

Hope can’t help the scoff that rips past her lips. “I suppose you wanted me to let you die again.” She can’t help but be bitter; her heart still feels like its bleeding out—it’s felt that way for months.

“Look Hope—” Josie is interrupted by more crashing. Glass shatters throughout the dorm rooms and then the doors fling open all at once, dozens of witches flooding into the hallway. 

Josie siphons from the floorboards as Hope inflicts them with migraines. They scream in agony, falling to their knees until they eventually pass out. This time Hope isn’t dictated by her emotions, detaching herself as to not feel the utter anguish that attempts to swallow her whole. Freya always preaches control, and for this reason is why its so important; when Hope uses her head instead of her heart, the precision of her magic magnifies and can ultimately cause calamities. 

Another wave of witches burst through, coming in through the broken windows of the dorms. They charge at the two teenagers, forcing them back to back in order to cover all angles of attack. Josie recites bone breaking incantations while Hope utilizes suffocation spells, asphyxiating them only long enough for the attackers to pass out. 

Unconscious bodies litter the floor, and Hope places a barrier around them; ensuring that when they eventually wake up, they cannot leave. Hope closes her eyes and focuses on her hearing and attunement to vibrations. 

When more witches come rushing in, Hope senses them ahead of time and induces quick sleeping spells. They fall to the floor, dropping like a ton of bricks. Although Hope miscalculated, leaving one to send a rushing pain cracking through their skulls. 

Hope crouches over as pain flushes through her head like an eternal damnation. She felt the familiar buzz of magic being drawn out of her, and while she’s gasping from the sheer pounding of her brain, Josie muttered, “ _Phasmatos somnus_.” 

Alleviation swaddles her skull, and Hope stands, combing a hand through her hair. She massages her temples, further granting her relief and asks, “How did you...?”

“I’ve been having severe headaches lately.” Josie shrugs. “My pain tolerance has improved.”

“And you didn’t think to tell anyone?” Hope questions, almost as if she cares. 

She doesn’t. 

At least she tries to convince herself that she doesn’t.

“When did they start?”

“A few days after my birthday.” Josie bites her lip before sighing and seeming defeated. “Hope, I—”

The hallway furniture quivers, rattling as it shakes side to side. Groans erupt from the floorboards, threatening to bend and break, and a rumbling emerges from the depths of the school’s foundation. 

Josie mutters something in Japanese under her breath at the interruption. 

Wood splinters and chips, and Hope doesn’t hesitate to grab Josie and shield the brunette with her body. The ceiling crashes down, narrowly missing them by a foot. Dorm walls fracture before caving in and falling apart.

When the dust settles, Josie pushes Hope away roughly, acting as if she’s been hurt rather than protected. Hope tries to keep the disappointment off of her face, but it’s then when she notices the talisman dangling around Josie’s neck—the one she gifted her with on her birthday.

Surprisingly Lizzie is right. 

But why would Josie still be wearing it?

_A few days after her birthday?_ Hope thinks, grasping for any idea as to why Josie is still wearing the damn thing. _Was she wearing it all this time?_

Hope reaches to pull it off, but hisses when she barely grazes it. Her hand feels like it was dipped in battery acid; it’s similar to the effects of vervain. She narrows her eyes at the necklace before ordering Josie solemnly, “Remove the talisman.”

“What? Why?” Josie protests, stepping further away.

Hope flicks her wrist, aiming to telekinetically remove the jewelry, but it won’t budge. “Just do it, Josie!”

Josie unclasps it with ease and tosses the talisman at Hope. The moment she catches it, she immediately feels it radiating dark energy, like a beacon of resentment and anguish. 

“It was _hexed_ ,” Hope seethes and flips it over and over, scrutinizing every inch of it. Her blood simmers, rushing through her circulatory system and whispering war songs through her bones. Golden glazes over her vision, and she can’t help the bloodlust that begs her to kill.

Hope wants to rampage, enacting war on whomever was behind this atrocity. _Months_ of crying and loathing and questioning wasn’t caused by Josie but the heinous soul who cursed the talisman. When she discovers the malefactor, they will beg for death by the time Hope is done with them. 

Killing them would be a mercy.

The hallway lights flicker and a few lightbulbs burst into bright sparks. The tremor of magic settles, and Hope can barely suppress her rising fury. She forces herself to focus, reminding herself to protect the school before she goes on a murderous streak.

Hope enters a dorm room and peeks outside a broken window. The witch coven’s numbers have diminished gradually, but there are still enough to practice caution. The west wing’s entrance is now covered with rubble, and Hope levitates the broken wood and concrete, moving a sizable amount. She utilizes her super strength to move the rest of it, and Hope avidly uses the time to ignore Josie. 

Hope doesn’t do it out of spite; she simply pretends Josie isn’t stuck here with her because avoiding confrontation is the best option. If her conclusions are correct, and someone did tamper with the talisman, then that means Josie hasn’t truly been herself in months. It also allows room for optimism to sprout through the chamber’s of her heart, and Hope persistently tries to repress the feeling because she won’t be able to stop the utter heartbreak if something still goes sideways.

As Hope continues to clear enough space for them to shimmy through and reach the stairs, Josie drops a bomb on her. “I never hated you, Hope.”

“ _No_.” Hope turns around, immediately shutting down the siphoner. “I can’t do this right now.”

“Please,” Josie pleads, rubbing her palms together nervously. “I need you to hear me out.”

“You’ve ignored me for three months,” Hope snaps, voice hoarse and raw. “You can ignore me for a little bit longer.”

The hurt that ingrains itself into Josie’s face feels like someone ripped out Hope’s heart and watched it bleed. She regrets her word choice, wanting to apologize for keeping something over Josie’s head, but instead, Hope unclogs the rest of the entrance, finally creating enough space for them to head downstairs. 

After finding their friends, they’re left to fight three more squads of witches. Hope withstands a broken chair leg to the hip before they restrain or knock out the last of the coven members. She casually rips out the piece of furniture buried into her and covers the wound, waiting for it to clot and eventually heal.

Once Dr. Saltzman negotiates with the leader of the coven and everyone is released, the students (more specifically the witches) are left to rebuild their school and tend to their injured. Hope is one of the lucky—notice her sarcasm—students whose dorm was completely wrecked, so now she’s left to sleep elsewhere. 

Hope forgoes asking her friends for a bed to share—she doesn’t even know whose dorms are intact still—and opts to sit at the dock by the lake. She watches the stars glimmer and breathes in the fresh air. Hope feels completely at peace.

Until she doesn’t.

“Hope?” Josie calls out, stepping on twigs as she trudges over.

Hope contemplates making herself invisible; a simple _Invisique_ and _poof_ , she’s gone. Alas, she grunts out, “Yeah?”

Josie sits down beside her, leaving a meter of space between them. They feel lightyears away, much like the stars Hope was admiring earlier. 

“How’s your hip?” Josie asks.

Hope shrugs, appearing indifferent and closed off. “I’ll be limping for a day or two.”

Josie nods in understanding, and they sit in silence as the moon watches over them.

“I never hated you,” Josie decisively repeats her words from earlier. “It’s just everything was hurting, and I guess a part of me always thought you would leave. It was a ridiculous insecurity, I know, so it was easier to drive you away instead of watching you leave. Loving you has always been so all consuming, and I don’t want to give all of myself away for the sake of love.”

The words sting and numbness builds a home inside her chest. Were her words and actions never enough to reassure the Saltzman of Hope’s love for her?

“Then don’t.” Hope responds bluntly, forcing herself to be calm. “I hate that you loving me means that you have no room for yourself. Prioritize yourself, Josie. Learn to love yourself more than I love you. It’s important to become your own person; one who isn’t just Lizzie Saltzman’s twin, or the girl who shares a name with Josette Laughlin, or someone who loves a Mikaelson. So stop loving me, but don’t push me away either.”

“You saying that makes me love you more,” Josie whispers, tears trailing down her cheeks.

For a moment, Hope’s heart isn’t bleeding out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sergeant buns uses they/them pronouns because non-binary people are valid


	3. Thank You For Loving Me

Hope is convinced her life is a cosmic joke. 

Josie left the dock first, needing the space to simply think and figure out what she wanted. Hope returns to the dorms an hour later, ready to knock out and fix her dorm tomorrow, but when she asks her friend group for a bed to sleep on, they all tell her that the Saltzman twins are the only ones who still have a room intact.

Of course it’s the only room unharmed.

Opting out of a giant sleepover, Hope gathers blankets and pillows to sleep in the lounge. Knowing her friends, Lizzie will end up sleeping in between MG and Josie while Rafael, Kaleb, and Jed will pile onto the other bed. Besides, entering the twins’ room is too much too soon. It’ll reek of Josie’s scent and will be a head rush of memories shared loving the brunette.

It’s like listening to their song after Josie pushed her away. She’ll immediately shut off the song because it will bring a torrent of unwanted emotions and memories with every lyric sung. It doesn’t feel right listening to it much like it won’t feel right to step foot in Josie’s bedroom.

Hope settles on the couch, enjoying the warmth and orange glow from the fireplace. A few other students are in the lounge as well, but they’re huddled in the corner, giving Hope her space. She’s seconds away from falling asleep but lavender and vanilla wafts into the room, causing her to look up.

Josie is leaning against the doorway, clad in a tank top and sweats. She looks vulnerable but utterly beautiful, and Hope has the sudden urge to paint. “The Super Squad is holed up in my room except our invincible leader is avoiding us.”

Hope shrugs, wanting to hide under the blankets. Wasn’t one conversation enough for the night? Why have another when they’re already walking on glass? “You’ve all hung out without me before. How is this time any different?”

Hope doesn’t like hurting Josie, doesn’t like the bitterness that settles on her tongue when she thinks about the past three months. To some degree, she wants Josie to understand the hell she’s been having to live; the permanent ache that’s built a home in the vessels of her heart. 

Josie frowns, standing up straight and crossing her arms. “Hope, whatever is going on between us, I still care for you. With or without me, you belong here; you have a place in our friend group. I want you to stay.”

It’s in this moment that Hope regrets her attendance at USC next fall. Josie is pleading with her to stay so they can mend their relationship (whether romantically or friendly, she doesn’t know), and Hope wants nothing more, but...

“Did you know your talisman was hexed?” Hope blurted out, pain leaking into her every word as her voice wavers. “I can’t tell if the past three months were your true feelings or if you were compelled by some spell to say horrendous things to me.”

Hope pauses before exhaling shakily. “I’m _hurting_ , Josie. Every word you’ve degraded me with is still fresh in my memory. You pinned my abandonment issues against me and told me I was _too clingy_. You blamed my parents death on me.”

Josie stops breathing, arms falling to her side. “I pushed you away, but I would _never_ -.” She cuts herself off, crouching over and gasping. Josie grips onto her head and tears slip past her water line. 

She chokes back a sob and connects her eyes with Hope. “You didn’t kill your parents.”

Hope wants to disagree, wants Josie to understand she’s _wrong_. Concern cascades through Hope, wanting to help Josie. Despite any feelings they need to hash out, she doesn’t enjoy watching the brunette be in physical pain. 

“You _didn’t_ ,” Josie asserts, clutching to the roots of her hair. Her voice is like gravel, rough and breaking through skin. “You wanted a connection with your father, and no one can blame you for that.” More tears trail down her cheeks, and Hope wants to stop whatever is causing Josie’s pain. She almost cuts in to tell Josie that’s enough, so she can help her. But Josie is resolute, imploring Hope to understand. “Your mother sacrificed herself to kill Greta Sienna. Your father and uncle sacrificed themselves to end the Hollow.”

Josie collapses onto all fours, barely keeping eye contact with Hope. “They loved you, Hope. Always and forever wasn’t just a phrase to them.”

Hope stills, unable to move. Her eyes blur, the edges of her vision smearing together like water colors. She’s _crying_ while Josie is sobbing on the floor, withering like she didn’t just reassure Hope that she’s not an accomplice in her parents’ deaths. 

There’s a voice at the back of her mind, whispering ideas to Hope, and she has a gut feeling that Josie’s headache isn’t a natural bodily reaction from stress. 

Hope wipes her eyes and forces her voice to become assertive, raising her fist towards Josie. “ _Resistus maledi_.”

Josie pants as her heartbeat begins to calm and the pain recedes. 

Hope is going to murder someone.

It’s one thing to torment her, whether its because she’s a Mikaelson or a tribrid, but to drag Josie into this?

Hope wipes away the salt water that slid down her face. She reaches out to Josie, the first time she’s purposely tried to touch the girl in ages, and offers out her hand. Josie grasps it, lifting herself to her feet, and Hope’s fingers tingle, like sparks are cracking through her arteries. 

Josie doesn’t let go, holding Hope’s hand and decisively telling her, “I’m sorry I can’t remember what I told you. You didn’t deserve to be ignored because of my own insecurities.”

Hope lets go of her hand, the contact too intimate for her. “We’ll talk about this later, but first, I need you and Lizzie to help me with a tracing spell.” 

Without a second thought, Hope bursts into the twins’ room with Josie curiously following after her. She’s practically vibrating with rage, needing to identify who’s the cause of this entire shitshow. 

“Mikaelsons always have to make an entrance,” Lizzie groans, burying her face into the crook of MG’s neck. “It took you long enough.”

“What’s wrong, Hope?” Rafael asks, obviously noticing Hope’s rising anger. 

Hope ignores the question, gripping onto Lizzie and dragging her out of the room. “What the hell, 3-in-1 Shampoo. Let go of me.”

Hope stops manhandling the blonde when they stop in front of her ruined dorm. She cautiously walks in, not wanting to misstep and accidentally cause the floor to cave in. Grabbing a drawstring bag from the corner, Hope tugs them into the lounge.

Hope pulls out a map and rummages through the bottom of the bag before setting up candles, black stones, and several different herbs and powders. She then places the talisman on the middle of the map.

“Are you going to fill us in, or do you plan on pulling us around like rag dolls all day?” Lizzie crosses her arms, looking annoyed and borderline pissed.

Hope shushes the siphoner and orders the both of them to sit across from her. “Just repeat after me, okay?”

Hope links hands with both Lizzie and Josie, hating the way her body reacts to the simple hand hold. They chant the incantation, words heavily rooted in Latin are repeated over and over. The twins siphon magic from her, and she can feel power imbuing itself into the map of Mystic Falls. Whoever is agonizing Josie has to be close by.

A sigil appears on the map, located at the Salvatore Boarding School and pointing near the kitchen. Hope races there, faster than the twins can keep up with, and when she slips through the doorway, Alyssa Chang is stuffing a brownie into her mouth.

With a twitch of her fingers, Hope magically whips the brownie from Alyssa’s mouth and hurls it into the trash. 

“Look orphan, whatever you think I did-” Hope doesn’t let her finish, raising an open palm and throwing it forward. Alyssa is slammed to the wall unable to move anything but her head.

“ _Veritas tempus!_ ” Hope recites the truth spell before interrogating the brunette witch. “Did you hex Josie’s talisman?”

“Yes,” Alyssa deadpans, then cusses, “Shit. Hope listen-”

“Why’d you do it?”

Hope furthers the hold, applying more pressure against Alyssa who struggles to breathe. “To destroy you,” she huffed, gasping for air. “My coven forced me to. They threatened to take away my magic.”

“Hope!” Josie calls out, running into the kitchen with Lizzie. “What are you doing?”

“You have a coven?” Hope ignores the twins, needing more information. “And it’s impossible to take away someone’s magic.” 

Alyssa is gaping like a fish out of water, and Hope lessens the hold, allowing for the witch to breathe better. “I wasn’t exiled after I killed my parents. So yes, I still have a coven,” she grits out, narrowing her eyes at Hope. “And it’s possible to take away someone’s magic. It happened a few years ago, right here in Mystic Falls. The Travelers depowered all supernaturals in the town, rendering all of them powerless. But my coven created a ritual that will permanently seal one’s powers.”

Hope knows of the Travelers, having studied about them in her _Decades of Magic_ class, but she never learned about a purification ritual capable of sealing one’s magic. 

“What were the effects of the spell placed on the talisman?”

“Think of it as an opposite feeling spell directed towards hybrids,” Alyssa explains while out of breath. “Every inclination to apologize to you or declare her love for you was twisted into derogatory slander and cruel acts.”

She decides at that moment to slaughter Alyssa’s entire coven. 

“When did you curse it?”

“The day-” she gasps for air, taking a second to breathe. “The day after the twin’s birthday.”

The twins gasp from behind Hope, appalled by the information. 

Alyssa continues, at the mercy of an enraged Hope. “Josie was already out of it from being buried alive and killing her mother-”

Hope unconsciously tightened the restraint on Alyssa, disgusted at the phrasing the brunette witch used. Josie tugged at her shirt, imploring Hope to allow the girl to breathe; she loosens the hold.

“-and everyone saw how she pushed you away the next morning. So I took my chance. Although the spell has been dampened, she might’ve been accidentally siphoning it.” 

Releasing the magic that suspends Alyssa, Hope asks one last question. “Why is Josie having headaches?”

“Her brain is trying to piece together memories she doesn’t have,” Alyssa says, inching towards the door. “The spell stripped memories of bad interactions with you, so her headaches are natural reactions to the holes in her memories.”

The witch rushes out of the room with her metaphorical tail between her legs. Hope has never seen her rattled before. 

Nevertheless, she’s already piecing together plans to track down the coven and put the leader’s head on a pike. She’ll enjoy ripping through flesh and bone, watching as crimson pours out of them. Maybe she’ll create a portrait with their blood, naming it: _The Blood of My Enemies_.

It’ll hang above her bed’s headboard. 

“ _Mikaelson_ ,” Lizzie repeats, gaining her attention. “Whatever nefarious plot you’re concocting in your head can wait until tomorrow. I’m exhausted.”

“Yeah,” Hope hums, still a little out of it. 

If they are willing to destroy Hope’s relationships because they fear her powers and name, she’ll show them what true _terror_ feels like.

* * *

Well this is awkward. 

Last night the twins coaxed her into sleeping in their room, but the sleeping arrangements were… not what one would expect.

When Hope wakes up, she’s inhaling a mix of green tea and axe body spray. Lizzie is curled on top of MG while also trapping Hope next to the two of them with her leg. It isn’t… unpleasant, seeing as she’s close friends with the both of them, but this is simply another instance to add to the long list of times Hope has third wheeled the couple. 

She wanders off into the dining hall, still wearing her pajamas like many other students. Her breakfast consists of eggs and blueberry waffles, and she finds a seat next to Rafael. Out of all of their friends, he’s the only one single, so Hope doesn’t have to worry about third wheeling.

They talk about the coven that attacked last night, about how Raf’s pack suffered some nasty injuries, and how they want moonlight rings. Hope knows they shouldn’t have moonlight rings, not yet at least because they lack control and restraint to not attack the vampire students. But she doesn’t tell him that, just nods along and eats her food. 

When a familiar smell filters through her nose, she immediately ducks under the table, hiding herself. 

“Hope…?” Rafael asks, looking down at her.

Hope flicks her wrist, forcing him to look away. She then whispers, only loud enough for his wolf ears to hear. “I’m just trying to dodge someone.”

“Obviously,” Rafael huffs, still taking bites of his food. “But she’s my friend, too. If she comes to the table to eat, you can’t really dodge her.”

“How do you know who I’m dodging?” Hope asks, still smelling lavender and vanilla lingering in the room somewhere. 

“Josie Saltzman is the only person you’ll ever run from,” Rafael says like it’s common knowledge. She supposes it is, but that doesn’t help the situation. 

Remembering herself, she mutters _Invisique_ under her breath and silently leaves the dining hall. She reappears outside her room, deciding it’s time to finally try to rebuild it. 

She knows that she can’t avoid confrontation, eventually she will have to talk to the siphoner. After months of wanting to talk, she now finds herself terrified of the outcome. It’s not a matter of whether or not they love each other—Hope is sure she’ll never stop—but the falling back into it is what causes her back to tense and her heartbeat to rise.

Who else will attack her friends? Her family? Josie?

Whoever has a bond with her will _never_ be safe, and she’s _scared_ that she can’t protect them.

It’s one thing to hunt her, but the people she loves?

What if Josie decides that loving her shouldn’t be worth risking her life? What if her friends decide the same thing?

-

Hope is irritated.

When reconstructing her room with a plethora of spells, she discovered that a few of her paintings are destroyed. Her family portrait and a painting of Josie are both fortunately still intact, but the unfinished one of her Aunt Rebekah is broken in half and a few others she has created have been burnt to ash.

She should’ve known to place a protection charm on them, but she hadn’t expected for the school to partake in a war anytime soon. 

Instead of lashing out at the world for the ruining of her art, she decides to head out into the forest. She suppresses the urge to shift, her wolf wanting to roam freely, and instead takes in nature in her human form. 

She only walks around for a few minutes, inhaling the crisp scent of pine and dewy grass, before she pulls out her phone to call someone.

It rings four times before a heartwarming, “Hi Sweetheart,” wafts through the phone. 

“Hi Auntie Keelin!” Hope picks at the bark of a nearby tree. “Can I talk to you about something?”

“Of course!” Keelin is just as supportive as her other aunts and uncles. “What’s up?”

“Uhm,” Hope accidentally breaks off a branch of a tree and cusses under her breath. “How did you know that- that loving Aunt Freya would be worth it.”

“Is this about you being a Mikaelson?” Keelin quickly catches on.

“Maybeee,” Hope drags out the word, fiddling with a few leaves.

Keelin sighs, it isn’t frustrated or displeased, but almost nostalgic…? “Freya and I danced around our feelings at first. We didn’t want to admit to them; Freya was constantly fighting off Mikaelson enemies and tried pushing me away because she didn’t want to see me hurt.”

“So how did you move past it?”

“Well,” Keelin mumbles something to the side, talking to Nik. “I showed Freya that after all of the fighting and spell work was finished, at the end of the day, she deserved to have someone who understood her in the same ways she made me feel understood.”

“That’s-” Hope smiles to herself, loving her aunts dearly. “That’s actually really sweet.”

Keelin laughs. “She almost let me walk away after I told her that.”

“I’m glad she didn’t.” Hope kicks at a tree root, dragging the end of her platforms through the mud.

“Me too, Kiddo,” Keelin chuckles deeply, the sound rumbling through her chest. “But listen, I know you have an affinity to viciously protect the ones you care about, much like the rest of your family, but don’t be afraid to lean on them and let them take care of you too. Tribrid or not, Mikaelson or not, you still deserve to love and be loved.”

Hope crumbles at her words, tears threatening to spill past her waterline. “Thank you, Auntie Keelin. I love you, and I miss you.”

“I love you, too,” Keelin replies, affection oozing from every inch of her words. “I wish our time wasn’t cut short over the weekend. _Also_ , you still owe Freya an apology for running across the country without waiting for us.”

“Oh, I, uh-” Hope fakes looking at her wrist, as if Keelin could see her right now. She’s not even wearing a watch. “Would you look at the time, I’m late for class.”

“ _Hope_ ,” another throaty laugh wafts through the line. “It’s Sunday.”

“ _Shit_ , I mean, uhm,” Hope sputters, flushing embarrassingly bright. “I love you, bye!”

Hope sighs in relief when she hits the red end call button.

She supposes running to Virginia wasn’t the brightest of ideas, but her friends were in danger. 

_Josie_ was in danger. 

Josie is still in danger because of Alyssa’s coven. She’ll have to track them down and annihilate them soon, lest they find another way to harm her loved ones.

Although right now, Hope only has one goal in mind:

To talk to Josie.

She may fear the outcome, but she has to trust that those close to her understand the risk and are still willing to love her anyway. 

She also has to trust that Josie didn’t mean it when she degraded her and emotionally tormented her for the past few months. 

But what if she meant every word?

What would Hope do then?

_No._

Josie suffered, through what was essentially her brain imploding, just to remind her that Hope didn’t kill her parents. 

_But still,_ a small part of her brain is mistrustful of the brunette. 

It’s a trickle of doubt that licks at the base of her spine. 

It mocks her and whispers suspicions to her.

Hope doesn’t like the part of her that's wary of Josie. 

She loathes it.

-

Hope hesitates when she sees Josie.

For the rest of the day, she dodged the girl, delaying the inevitable conversation. But when she goes to the kitchen for a midnight snack, Hope hears the familiar rhythm of Josie’s heart beat. She spent many nights memorizing its cadance. 

Hope can smell the banana nut bread baking in the oven, and after another moment, Josie begins to sing. And well, Hope feels like she’s been transported back in time, to the day Josie was singing “Say Something.” She sat outside, silently pining after her, and now Josie doesn’t seem as far as she used to.

But she’s still not standing next to her, so Josie is still much too far.

Hope almost walks away, almost leaves.

Keelin would understand why she turned her back.

But Hope is tired of leaving. And for once, Josie isn’t pushing her away.

So she stays, entering the kitchen with her head held high and her heart quivering in her chest. 

It always has to be the kitchen, doesn’t it? First Alyssa, and now this.

“Rough day?” Hope asks, opening the fridge without really looking at its contents.

Josie jumps from the counter she was sitting on, obviously startled. She relaxes when she realizes it’s just Hope. “I- uh, how’d you know?”

“Do you know how many nights I woke up to an empty bed and something baking in the oven?” Hope turns, brow raised.

“Oh, right, sorry. I forgot,” Josie swallows a lump in her throat and runs a hand through her hair.

“You’ve seem to have forgotten a lot recently,” Hope dips a toe in the water, testing Josie’s reactions. She continues to rummage through the fridge, but she’s already lost her appetite. 

Hope doesn’t even have to look at her to know Josie is tense and her brows are furrowed. “You can’t blame me for that.”

“I’m not blaming you, Jo,” Hope is quick to cut in. She doesn’t mean to use the nickname, but it slipped out and curled around her tongue like any other time she’s used it. Slowly, she closes the fridge and leans against it. “I just want to know if anything you’ve said stems from something _real_ , something you believe to be true.”

“You heard Alyssa, Hope,” Josie takes a small step forward, silently demanding Hope to look at her—she doesn’t. “You placed a truth spell on her, and she told you, in all earnesty, that whatever form of affection or _love_ for you that I wanted to express was morphed and twisted into something cruel and evil.”

“You called me an abomination,” Hope chokes out, her voice gruff like she hadn’t drank water in days. It feels that way, her entire mouth withered and dry. “I don’t take those words lightly, neither did my father when Mikael wanted to erase him from the world.”

“I don’t remember that!” Josie crosses her arms, her defenses towering up. “I’m sorry, but I don’t.”

Hope bites her lip, feeling extremely small. She whispers, “Is there any part of you that does think that?”

“Hope,” Josie exhales her name softly, a hint of sadness lingering in her tone. She steps forward once more, arms no longer crossed. “Mikael was a fool. He was scared of your father’s differences and more so terrified that he couldn’t control him. He hid all that fear behind his abuse.”

She takes another step forward, and if Hope really wanted to, she could reach out and touch her. God does she want to, but she restrains herself and stays put against the fridge. “No part of me will ever think of you as anything less than the compassionate and strong person that you are.”

“Are you sure you’re not describing yourself,” Hope mumbles, a small lilt to her lips. 

Josie’s face is somber, imploring Hope to understand. “You’re not an abomination.” 

Hope clenches her jaw and still doesn’t look into Josie’s eyes. She’s scared what she’ll find. She’s so used to seeing the narrowed gaze that’ll tear through her and shred her heart strings. 

She misses the brown depths that exuded a love only Josie could envelope her in.

She misses _Josie_ , even though she’s standing right there in front of her.

“The night you-” Hope inhales sharply, forcing herself to straighten her spine and raise her head. She’s still looking somewhere past Josie, but she’s trying not to feel so small and vulnerable right now. “The night we brought you back home for the church, you tried to convince me that I should’ve let you die. You-” Hope looks at the crown of Josie’s head, right above her eyes. “You were livid that I killed people that day. I think then you would have described me as an abomination.”

Josie is silent, the oven whirring in the back is louder than Josie’s own heartbeat. Hope inhales subtly, sniffing for familiar chemosignals. It’s a mix of positive and negative emotions; she can’t sort through them.

If Hope is only dipping her toe into the pool, Josie dives all the way in, submerging herself into the feeling. 

Josie surges forward, hands reaching up and cupping Hope’s face. “Thank you for saving me,” she pauses, eyes tracing along Hope’s lips. “I’m not happy that you killed people that day, but I know that you’d do anything for those you love.” 

Josie exhales and Hope feels her breath fan over her cheeks. “So thank you for loving me.”

And Hope finally lets go of all her worries. Her vision focuses in on Josie’s familiar irises, and there’s a shift in Hope’s own body. The corners of her sight begin to shimmer their glimmering gold. Josie can’t hold in her tears, they tumble down her cheeks and cause Hope’s throat to close up.

She detests seeing Josie cry. What’s worse is that she finds her own vision blurring, too. 

An understanding settles between them. 

They suddenly don’t feel so far apart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> feel free to comment! i love reading them :)
> 
> https://dotherightthing.carrd.co/


	4. Coping Mechanism

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it's fun to write hope with anger issues lol

So there’s a new student at school, and Hope is, well, Hope is borderline ready to punch someone. It’s not unusual to have a new student, even if they’re two weeks away from school ending, but it’s what the new student is doing that’s upsetting her. 

Hope is heading to the cafeteria for lunch, finishing her potions class. When she passes the main entrance, she inhales a new scent, something akin to citrus and an ocean breeze. A while ago, she took the time to memorize everyone’s natural odor, making it easier to track students if they were to ever go missing. 

So as she subtly follows the fusion of saltiness and tangy fragrance, Hope finds Josie and Lizzie walking on either side of a blonde vampire, guiding her through the halls on a tour. She’s seconds away from leaving the twins to do their thing, but she catches sight of the newcomer leaning into Josie’s personal space and tucking a strand of Josie’s hair behind her ear. 

Hope bristles watching the action unfold, and her jaw clenches when Josie steps back laughs awkwardly, obviously a little uncomfortable. Her and the brunette twin have still been tiptoeing around each other as they navigate through rekindling their relationship, but everyone here knows that Hope and Josie are unavailable—except for blondie. 

Possessiveness isn’t new to Hope, her mother explained that wolves tend to assert dominance and lay claim. The idea is rather barbaric, considering people aren’t property to own, but she can’t push away the need to march over there and stand between the vampire and Josie. Instead, Hope grumpily mutters under her breath and walks off to the cafeteria. She doesn’t grab food, only sits at the table with her friends.

“You okay, Hope?” Rafael asks, concerned for his friend who has her arms crossed and doesn’t bother to greet them.

“Is it that time of the month?” Jed whispers into Kaleb’s ear, as if Hope doesn’t have supernatural hearing. 

“Oh yeah,” Kaleb whispers back. “Doesn’t she have two? Like the full moon thing and the bleeding thing?”

Hope kicks their shins under the table, rolling her eyes at them. Her friends are idiots. “Someone’s in a violent mood today,” Jed mutters. 

She scoffs at his statement, and her jaw clenches tighter. MG throws an arm around her, knowing that she just needs to cool off. Hope relaxes into him and sighs, hating the way her body reacts to seeing someone flirt with Josie. The Saltzman is her own person and can make her own decisions.

“Do you know where the twins are?” MG shovels a handful of fries into his mouth. 

Hope steals some of his fries before grumbling, “They’re touring a new student. She’s a vampire that’s rather _coquettish_.”

“Babe,” Jed nudges Kaleb’s shoulder. “What’s coquettish?”

Kaleb wraps an arm around Jed’s waist, pulling him even closer. “Like flirtatious, which makes sense why Hope is being aggressive. Remember when Penelope flirted with Josie when Hope and Josie were only in the talking stage? Girl woke up with cockroaches in her bed.”

Hope snorts, remembering the day rather vividly. The witch cried all morning before engaging in a week-long prank war with Hope. The blue eyed girl ended up victorious, but they eventually resolved their issues and became civil with one another. 

“Hey, at least my temper isn’t as bad anymore,” Hope shrugs, mentioning her personal growth. 

“Didn’t you almost choke Alyssa Chang to death last week?” Rafael raises a brow at her as he bites into his burger. 

Hope gapes at him, crossing her arms once more. “That was completely warranted.”

“Whatever happened that night anyway?” MG’s gaze is curious but gentle, harboring no malice against her. 

“More enemies of the Mikaelson family.” Hope runs a hand through her hair. “Alyssa knew of the coven who placed a hex on Josie’s talisman, which was partly why Josie was giving me the cold shoulder.”

“Partly?” Jed asks and is immediately kicked under the table by Rafael. “What the hell, dude?” 

“It’s okay, Raf,” Hope squeezes his shoulder. “Sometimes when people get scared, they have a tendency to push others away. If you push them away and create space, they can’t disappoint you. It’s sort of a coping mechanism-”

“What’s a coping mechanism?” Lizzie appears behind them with her arms crossed, scrutinizing Hope like she's done something to offend her. Josie is behind her, two trays of food in her hand. Their eyes connect for a moment, and the small smiles that reach their faces transport Hope back to when she was sixteen and first falling for the brunette. 

“Crying,” Hope fakes a smile, thinking her and Josie’s problems aren’t something the brunette wants to be a topic of conversation at lunch. “Sometimes feelings can be overwhelming, so people cope with crying.”

“Except… you weren’t talking about crying,” the new vampire calls out, eyes narrowing with a blood bag in her hand. “You were talking about pushing people away instead of watching them leave. It’s incredibly _low_ being a liar. Of course, what can I expect from a _Mikaelson_.”

Hope jumps to her feet, the rest of her friends standing to back her up. She chances a look at Josie, and the brunette is searching her features, scrutinizing her for any semblance of the blonde’s words being true. 

The vampire smirks. “Your heart beat is trembling.”

“It’s my adrenaline kicking in because I’m seconds away from snapping your neck,” Hope snarls, the borders of her vision flaring gold. 

Dark veins appear beneath the blonde’s eyes, her irises flashing crimson as she bares her fangs. “I can snap your neck faster.”

Hope feels her canines expanding as more of her wolf takes over, preparing to rip into vampire flesh. Magic crackles along her palms, ready to be released onto her opponent. 

“Is this fight warranted?” Jed whispers to Kaleb. 

Kaleb reaches down and intertwines their fingers. “Not now, babe.”

Overhearing their conversation, Hope reins in her rising anger and clears her throat, shaking her head to clear her vision of glowing hues. There’s been enough fighting within these walls to last a lifetime. 

The vampire doesn’t appear to be backing down though, still ready to tear through Hope, but Josie stands in front of the newcomer. “Jade, that’s enough.”

When Jade doesn’t respond, Josie places a hand between her shoulder and neck, balancing the two food trays on her other arm. “That’s enough.”

Jade gulps as she retracts her fangs, and then she gasps, eyes roaming all over Josie, silently _wanting her_. Hope feels nauseous but also seconds away from exploding the entire Salvatore building. Again, she forces herself to breathe instead of festering negative emotions. 

“I just remembered I have to speak with Dr. Saltzman.” Hope forces her eyes away from Jade and Josie. “Welcome to Salvatore, Jade,” she spits out, not a hint of hospitality in her tone. Josie swivels her head towards Hope, glaring at her. She swallows thickly, forcing the hurt from her features before ducking her head and walking away. 

It’s a ghost of a reminder from the past three months, but Hope knows the glare wasn’t one of malice, simply one of scolding. Although she can’t help the subtle ache in her chest as her breathing turns shallow.

Crying seems like a useful coping mechanism right now.

“Hope wait,” MG appears before her, using his vampire speed. “Do you want to skip class? We can hang by the dock and chill.”

“I-” Hope takes in a shuddering breath, waving her hand as she attempts not to sob. “Yes, I would appreciate it. Just- let me talk to Dr. Saltzman and go on a run first.”

“I’ll be at the dock.” He flashes her a wide smile, and she nods before heading to the headmaster’s office.

-

Hope knocks three times on the wooden double doors of Alaric’s office. There isn’t an answer after about a minute, and Hope can’t listen into the room because of the silencing enchantment placed on the office, assuring privacy for all within. She knocks once more before the doors open and out walks-

Roman Sienna.

“Oh uh, hi Roman,” Hope gives him a half smile. “What’re you doing here?”

“Finals and graduation are coming up, so Dr. Saltzman decided I should be at school for it,” he laughs softly and runs a hand through his hair. He takes a closer look and realizes her distressed expression. “Is everything all right?” 

Hope shifts her gaze, not wanting to talk about it. The two of them are on amicable terms, but Hope still has her walls up, never truly letting him back in. “Everything is spectacular.” Hope can’t keep the sarcasm out of her voice. “Now if you’ll excuse me…”

Hope ignores the frown he gives her and steps around him greeting Alaric. “Hi Dr. Saltzman, can I go for a run?”

He scratches his chin before shaking his head. “You have finals in another week. Skipping classes isn’t ideal for your success.”

Hope pinches at the bridge of her nose. “I feel like I’m seconds away from causing an earthquake, can you let me go this once?”

Alaric sighs, rubbing his face and seeming utterly exhausted. “Hope, please take a seat.”

Oh god no, she knows exactly where this is going. The last thing she needs to do is have a therapy session with the father of the girl she loves. “I’d rather not. I really just need to run right now.”

“Fine, fine.” Alaric waves her away. “I expect you to attend your meeting with Ms. Tig tomorrow. Your sessions are important.”

“Thank you, Dr. Saltzman.” Hope leaves, a little annoyed that Alaric didn’t simply agree at first.

-

Wind cascades over her fur as she rushes through the forest, forcing herself to run faster. The familiar burn of her muscle allows her to focus on physical pain instead of hollowness felt within her earlier. Sunlight gleams against her pelt and soaks into her; the more nature she immerses herself in, the calmer she becomes.

Eventually, she returns back to her human form, not wanting to keep MG waiting for more than two hours. She heads to the dock after changing, but instead of finding her graphic novel loving friend, she’s met with warm mocha eyes and pouty lips.

“Hey Jo,” her voice is delicate, a smile curving her lips. “Is MG not coming?”

“I asked him not to.” She pats the spot beside her, and Hope sits down, dangling her legs over the water. “I wanted to be with you, if that’s okay.”

Hope leans her head on Josie’s shoulder. “It’ll always be okay.” 

They stay silent for a while, appreciating the breeze that flutters over them, and Hope allows herself to simply be with Josie. She won’t deny that she missed this, simply being able to inhale the Saltzman twin and hold her. They’ve been apart for a while, so being near feels both familiar and _new_ because they’re different people now.

“Hope,” Josie breaks the stillness, “what happened today?”

She swallows the lump in her throat before answering, “Jade came after my family, then, well, she was looking at you.”

“Looking at me?”

Hope bites her lip. “Jealousy is a dangerous feeling.”

“Hope Mikaelson is _jealous_ ,” Josie says scandalously, gasping. The mirth residing in her mocha eyes only serves to make Hope nuzzle into the siphoner further. There’s a fire in her stomach that warms her entire body, completely enamored by the brunette next to her.

“It’s just-” Hope sighs, massaging her temple. “She gets under my skin, and she’s only been here for like five minutes, you know?”

“She called you a liar,” Josie nods, biting her lip.

Hope shrugs, sensing that this conversation is going to go downhill. 

“Are you? A liar?”

Hope sits up straight, genuinely looking at Josie. Is she trusting _Jade_ , the conniving seducer vamp, over her? Her ego is a little more than bruised right now, but she rolls her eyes and leans back, watching the little ripples in the lake. “The boys wanted to know what happened the night that I interrogated Alyssa. I told them she knew of the coven that hexed your talisman.”

She chances a glance at Josie whose attention is drawn to the water. “Then I told them that was partly why you ignored and lashed out at me. I said that sometimes… sometimes people push others away before they’re inevitably hurt.”

“God, Hope,” Josie jumps to her feet, irritation slathered into the creases of her frown. “Why didn’t you just tell the truth in the first place? Don’t you think our friends should know what really happened? And why lie about what you were talking about when I came to the table?”

Hope bristles, feeling her skin burn and her heart race as she stands. “Tell them the truth? So I can turn them all on Alyssa even though she was coerced? And Jade was with you! Do you really expect me to say that I was talking about you while you were away and hint Jade into all of our relationship drama?”

Josie inhales deeply, straightening her spine and appearing calm. Despite fixing her composure, her next words come out sharp and scolding, “Our friends need to make that decision themselves. They’re capable of complex thinking; they don’t need you to shelter them.” She pauses, her pupils still narrowed. “You’re allowed to talk about me to your friends because they’re _your friends_ , too. You’re friends with Lizzie, and I rant to her about you.”

Hope wraps her arms tightly around herself. Her wolf wants to snarl and growl, despising feeling belittled by someone they care for. She’s so used to self-isolation and running from her problems that telling half-truths is as easy as breathing. Needing to be in control is something she struggles with. 

“I’ll talk to them,” Hope says, refusing to keep eye contact with Josie. “Oh, and uhm, Roman is here until graduation. So try not to stake him.”

She walks away, utterly exhausted of all of this back and forth. They have so much to work through, and their own individual trauma is making it difficult for them to grow. Hope wonders if her growth will be stagnant, never furthering past her incessant need for manipulation and hiding.

-

“ _Hope Andrea Mikaelson_ ,” Lizzie spits out as she struts towards Hope like she’s on a runway. She could be with the outfit she’s wearing: a navy blue blazer opened up to display a silk bralette, a pair of navy blue dress pants, and black stilettos. 

Hope frustratedly slams closed the book she was studying. “Yes, Queen Elizabeth? How may I aid Your Majesty this fine evening?”

Lizzie scoffs, crossing her arms. “Cut the crap, Mikaelson. I was in the middle of a date at the art museum when I suddenly felt like burning down the entire building. What the hell did you do to Josie?”

“Why do you assume I did something?”

“When anything happens regarding you, fires start.” Lizzie glares at her, uncaring for the others in the library who just want peace and quiet. “The fire in your dorm when you were fourteen, the inferno at the wickery field when Josie discovered Roman betrayed you, the forest combusting when a group of vampires ambushed the two of you.”

Hope sighs, laying her head down on the table. “Josie said I don’t trust people to make their own decisions, and then I told her Roman is at school until graduation.”

“He’s _here_?” Lizzie slams her hands on the table, gathering annoyed glares which are returned just as fiercely. “The vamp in sheep’s clothing who helped kidnap and _kill_ Hayley?”

Hope flinches, scrunching her face and exhaling harshly. Lizzie never pulls her punches when it comes to words. 

Actually, Lizzie never pulls her punches in general.

Hope is positive Lizzie has broken Dana’s nose twice by now and has snapped Sebastian’s neck at least once.

“Yup,” Hope nods, standing up and collecting her belongings. “Look, it was nice talking and all, but I really need to study physics otherwise I’m going to fail my finals. So, if you’ll excuse me.”

“Wait, Hope,” Lizzie grasps her wrist, “Obviously I’ll always be there for Jo, but I’m here for you too. Trusting people can be difficult, especially because you need to protect yourself, but your friends—the Super Squad—we have your back, unconditionally.”

Lizzie opens her arms for a hug, an invitation that is rare, and Hope sighs into the embrace, allowing the blonde Saltzman to comfort her. “I think a part of me always wanted to be in control, needing everything to go my way, and then it became worse after my parents. I don’t know, everything feels like it’s spiraling all the time.”

A few months after Klaus and Elijah sacrificed themselves to end the Hollow, Hope and Josie began dating. The healing process was rough, and she didn’t want to let anybody else in. But Josie was comforting and _stable_ , and the brunette introduced her to the boys (MG, Raf, Kaleb, and Jed). 

And now- _now_ Josie’s reliability is fickle. Some days they’re close, and others, they’re like Pluto and the sun; it isn’t healthy for either of them to be Pluto. 

“Spiraling is written into my genetic code,” Lizzie murmurs, tucking her head into Hope’s shoulder. “Which means, I’ve had years of practice working through them. It doesn’t become easier, but there are many positive activities to put your energy into. Although, there are times you just need to ride through it.” 

Hope sighs, her mood calming minutely. “I think I need to scream in the forest again.”

“That works, too.”

“Thanks, Liz.”

Lizzie gags, pushing Hope away. “If you ever call me that again, I will activate your vampire side for you.” The blonde flashes her a viscous grin before sauntering out of the library, once more encasing the room in silence.

-

After studying for what felt like days but was only two hours, Hope genuinely tried to find a positive outlet to put her negative energy into, but _nothing_ was working. She tried painting but that only lasted about fifteen minutes before she grew bored, which usually isn’t a feeling she’d associate with art, but that was simply how she felt. She wrote about two paragraphs in her journal before realizing she was writing Josie too many times and decided she didn’t want to think about this right now. She even tried yoga, but she couldn’t get herself to calm down enough to enjoy the stretches.

Her frustration and exhaustion only worsened by dinner time, so she opts out of food and instead drags Jed into the gym for boxing. The boy is usually joined at the hip with his boyfriend, but Kaleb needed alone time to study for AP Chem and was glad to have Jed away for a bit. 

They swap punches, landing aggressive hits to the face and body. Hope has a bloody nose, but she ignores it, knowing her super healing will kick in soon. Jed’s right eye is swollen, and his lip is bleeding; but he doesn’t pull his punches. With a powerful uppercut to the gut, Hope is hunched over, wheezing for air, while Jed waits and gives her the moment to regain her footing. 

She barely catches her breath when someone near the entrance starts slow clapping. Hope inhales the tangy scent of blood and citrus and immediately stiffens, standing up straight. 

“How the mighty have fallen,” Jade stops before the boxing ring, letting out an amused exhale. There’s a smirk on her lips, taunting Hope to no ends. “The all-powerful tribrid is easily defeated by an ex-alpha. Who knew Mikaelsons were so _weak_.”

Oh yeah, Hope _definitely_ is ready to punch someone.

Hope snarls, aware that Jed is standing behind her, growling just as fiercely. “I can kill you with a single _bite_.”

“Ooh,” Jade smirks in the most provocative way imaginable. “ _Kinky_.”

“Or maybe you prefer fire,” Hope bites out, ripping off her gloves and cupping her hands in front of her, “ _Ignal-_ ” 

Jed whips her around, “You can’t just kill her. And Jos will have my head if she hears that I watched you kill the new girl.”

There’s a whoosh of a soft breeze, and Hope senses a presence behind her. “Josie means something to you, I can tell,” Jade whispers in her ear, breath puffing against her cheek. 

Hope doesn’t even blink as she pivots around, reaches up, and creates a sickening snap when she kills the blonde vampire. She looks at Jed behind her shoulder, “I can kill whoever I want.”

Hope struts out the gym, fire in her eyes and smoke exhaling past her lips.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this originated as a one shot and is now becoming way more. i hope you're all still interested
> 
> @_halcyone on twitter, tell me what you think <3


	5. Flashback and Fire

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Let's say there's a reason why wickery was only brought up in the first episode of Legacies and was never mentioned again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a very short filler chapter. I'm half way done with the next chapter, but I just wanted to post something.

_Josie thinks she broke her back._

_“Jo, why are you trying so hard?” Lizzie’s arms are crossed, looking down at her and not bothering to help her up from the grass. “They’re_ sophomores _, no one cares about them. Besides, Tricycle isn’t even here.”_

_Josie rolls her eyes, pushing herself up to her feet. “I know she’s not here, but her boyfriend is. And I don’t know, he’s always rubbed me the wrong way.”_

_The freshmen and sophomore students are having a co-ed PE class, and Dorian is watching over them as they have a wickery scrimmage. Hope hasn’t been to school in a month, and Josie has been off center ever since. She may have a small crush on the Mikaelson, but she’s also just worried._

_Josie has sent two letters, finding Hope’s address in her dad’s office files, and she even tried to learn astral projection. Although, she only managed to project herself out of her room, and even then, everything was still a little hazy._

_She’s becoming increasingly more frustrated when the sophomores score another point, and Lizzie stands there unimpressed, not bothering to defend the goal. When one of Josie’s magically directed passes is intercepted, Roman gains yet another point, and Lizzie scoffs as if she’s affronted by his audacity to score._

_“You know, I’ve been talking to the senior witches, and there have been rumors going around,” Lizzie steps out of the way, barely avoiding a werewolf charging at her._

_Josie siphons from a nearby vampire and mutters, “_ Crescere arbor. _” Vines erupt from the wickery field and wrap around Jed’s ankles, rendering him immobile._

_“Hey!” Jed shouts at the twins who simply shrug at him. “This isn’t legal!”_

_“It’s a scrimmage, Chihuahua,” Lizzie shouts, high fiving her twin. “No one cares.”_

_“You shouldn’t believe in rumors, Liz,” Josie passed the wickery ball to a freshman vampire, and they finally scored. “Do you know how many times Alyssa Chang has told someone we’ve caught STDs?”_

_“_ She what? _” Lizzie intercepts a pass and absentmindedly passes it to a freshman werewolf. “I’ll burn down her entire dorm.”_

_“Hey,” Josie pouts, hip checking her. “Fire spells are my thing.”_

_“Then I’ll shave all her hair off,” Lizzie shrugs, a fierceness held within her azure irises. “Alyssa Chang aside, all of the rumors are about Roman. They’re saying he betrayed Tri-state Area, and got her mom killed.”_

_Josie’s stomach drops as her gaze finds the curly haired blond. She’s seen the way everyone avoids him, and his teammates refuse to congratulate him when he scores. “Don’t say things like that,” she murmurs. “Those are heavy allegations.”_

_It’s nearing the end of the period when Josie’s aggravation hits an all time high. Vamps continuously flip her onto her back with superspeed, and she’s really beginning to think she needs a chiropractor. Her annoyance peaks when Roman scores the winning goal._

_Everyone is rounding up, ready to head to their respective locker rooms and change from sweaty jerseys. Dorian is shouting something at them, probably telling the students to put away the equipment. In a split second decision, Josie grabs Jed’s wrist and siphons from him. The magic she’s fueled with is energetic and_ aggressive _—feelings she’s come to associate with all werewolf magic._

_“What the hell, Saltzman.” Jed slaps away her hand, and she’s sure a bruise will appear later._

_“I’ll help you become alpha next year if you do me a favor right now,” Josie proposes, eyeing Roman who’s sat on a bench. Jed considers her offer for a moment, looking her over once before nodding._

_She whispers instructions into his ear and watches as he stalks off towards Roman. “_ Immobilus _,” she utters under her breath, staring intently at Roman. The vampire is rendered motionless, only being able to scream profanities while essentially glued to the bench. “_ Veritas tempus _.”_

_Jed flashes golden eyes at Roman, and the vampire’s face contorts in terror, thinking Jed is going to bite him and inevitably kill him. From where Josie is, she can’t hear their conversation; although from the other supernaturals around her, she can tell some of them are listening in._

_Snarling at Roman, Jed flips over the bench and launches the vampire several feet into the air. Josie’s spell breaks as the werewolf returns to her, and her heart plummets at the sympathetic look he’s giving her._

_“He and his mom tried to bound Hope’s wolf, and Hayley died when she killed Gretta Sienna,” Jed reports, rubbing the back of his neck. “Look, Josie, I don’t know what you plan on doing but-”_

_Josie doesn’t hear the rest of what he says, reaching up and grasping his shoulders. She isn’t aware of how much magic she’s siphoning, just knowing that she needs_ all _of it right now. Jed rips himself from Josie, looking absolutely exhausted as he stumbles away._

_The magic is unlike anything she’s felt in a long while; its heady with rage and violence, and it filters into her chest, coiling into a massive ball of wrath. She doesn’t realize it until smoke fills her lungs, but the wickery field is on fire, spreading out and blazing upwards._

_She storms to Roman who’s trapped under the bench, still disorientated from being tossed like a ragdoll. A ring of fire encircles him, effectively trapping Roman. The ring tightens closer to him, threatening to burn him alive and slay him. All she can feel is the slamming of her heart as her insides burn with an insatiable outrage._

_She’ll watch the light leave his eyes._

_Making Hope fall for him just to betray her? Bounding her werewolf? Sealing away a part of herself? Killing Hayley?_

_She'll cleanse this entire field with ash._

_“Jo, don’t!”_

_Josie tenses, snapping her head around. The fires momentarily waiver, lessening the slightest in intensity. Someone is running towards her, fiery red hair flowing behind them. Ocean blue eyes gaze into her, and she can feel the magic expelling from her stutter, not knowing what to do as Hope reaches her._

_Soft palms cup her face, and Josie traces her eyes across beautiful features, loving her curly hair and the small braid that frames the side of her face. “You need to stop,” Hope whispers, running a thumb over the apple of her cheek._

_Josie’s eyes flutter shut as she inhales the subtle scent of ash and Hope’s flowery fragrance. They’ve never been this close, especially after the fire Josie set in Hope’s dorm. Lizzie started a war with Hope the days following, and it never really ended; the animosity running deep because Josie never had the courage to confess what really happened._

_Familiar butterflies flitter around her stomach, and a blush creeps onto her cheeks. Josie tries to calm down the fires; she really does. But having Hope look at her like that while holding her face? It proves to be a difficult task._

_“Hurting him won’t make you feel better,” Hope whispers, tucking a piece of Josie’s hair behind her ear. “I should know.”_

_Josie’s brow creases at that confession, but she steps away from Hope, needing the space to breathe and calm her flustered heart. The vexation that travels through her bones and sits tightly wound in her chest makes it difficult to stop the fires. All she wants to do is explode and fight someone, watching as they bleed, but Roman is begging her to stop. There's a small voice in the back of her thoughts that tells her that's enough and that she doesn't really want to hurt the vampire. She allows that little part of her to take over and ignore the other overwhelming feelings of cruelty. When the fires eventually settle and all that’s left are cinders and fumes, Hope tugs Josie inside school and into her room._

_Hope grabs a healing salve and steps closer to Josie once more, applying it to a forming bruise on her chin where a wickery ball slammed into her face only minutes ago. Josie tries to settle her breathing, not wanting Hope to hear heavy exhales and her pounding heart._

_“Why are you breathing weirdly?” Hope asks, moving to a cut on Josie’s elbow. “It’s just me.”_

_Josie snorts at Hope’s attempt at comfort because being calm around Hope simply isn’t an option, but when she realizes that she snorted, blood rushes to her face as she embarrassingly takes a step back._

_“Are you coming back to school soon?” Josie murmurs, looking down at the wooden floor while picking at her nail polish._

_Hope sighs, leaning against her dresser and running a hand through her hair. “I’m a mess, Josie. The last thing I need right now is school. I only came back to grab some of my things.”_

_“Oh.”_

_Josie can’t help the subtle ache in her chest. She hates more than anything that she has feelings for someone who won’t return them. She isn’t even sure if Hope likes girls._

_Hope grabs a stuffed bear from her bed and holds it to her stomach. “I don’t know why Roman is back at school already, but considering you almost killed him, I don’t think he’s safe to stay.”_

_Josie shrinks into herself, “I think I’m banned from the wickery field for life.”_

_Hope’s lips quirk the slightest, amusement hidden within stormy irises. Despite Hope dealing with a great loss, she’s smiling, just the tiniest bit, and Josie swears from this moment forward that she’ll do anything to keep that grin right where it is._

_The tribrid exhales softly and sits on her bed, patting the area beside her. Josie reluctantly sides next to her, leaving a comfortable amount of space between them. She still reeks of wickery sweat and ashes, and if she were any closer, she’d likely do something stupid like lean in and kiss-_

_“It’s unlike you to try and hurt someone,” Hope states, cutting through the hazy images of Josie kissing her. “How’d you even find out anyway?”_

_Josie shrugs, picking at a loose thread on her unicorn socks. “Lizzie heard some stuff through the senior witches, and all the vampires stayed away from him like they knew what he did. I did a simple truth spell, and well, you found me after.”_

_“Why do you care so much?” Hope looks her over, scrutinizing her for some form of deceit or betrayal. Josie wonders if she’ll constantly try to find signs of disloyalty in everyone she’s supposed to trust now. “I thought you and Lizzie hated me.”_

_Josie shakes her head, wanting to reach out and hold Hope’s hand but refuses to act on that impulse. “We never hated you, at least I never did, and caring too much is sort of a problem for me. And the thought of someone betraying you? It makes my skin burn. I’m done fighting with you over nothing, and you deserve a friend.”_

_“I don’t deserve you,” Hope mumbles, thinking that after what she did to her mother, she doesn’t deserve anyone’s kindness. Josie takes it in an opposite light, blushing the tiniest bit as she thinks Hope meant it with gratitude. “I really can’t do friends right now.”_

_Josie’s lips turn downward, not expecting Hope to push her away. This only serves to strengthen her resolve though because she’ll care for Hope even if she doesn’t want it. “And that’s okay,” Josie assures her softly. “I’ll give you your space, but I’m here if you ever need anything.”_

_She stands, ready to leave and scrub clean her skin before returning to class, but Hope calls out, “I read your letters.”_

_Josie pauses mid-step but doesn’t look back at Hope, opting to stare at her wooden door that’s decorated with family photos. Hope continues gently, “Apple pie is my favorite, and… it means a lot to me that you wrote.”_

_After Hope’s small admission, Josie faces her with a wide grin, feeling her heart thud heavily against her ribcage. “I’ll be waiting for when you come back to school. Take your time, Hope.”_

_It isn’t until two months later and a handful of letters sent back and forth that the Mikaelson heir finally returns to school. And the love that follows is something Josie never expected, but she cherishes every second of it because true to her word—Hope’s smile never fades._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just found out that the name Sienna literally means "to be old," which is honestly fitting for vampires.
> 
> I hope everyone liked the flashback! The next chapter will include some fluff too! I know this was originally supposed to be sad and angsty, but Hosie is endgame and they deserve something good. If you want something more angsty, read the hogwarts au or hanahaki au; they're really good reads!
> 
> Tell me what you think about the flashback/filler chapter! 
> 
> With love, @_halcyone on twitter


	6. I Was Beginning To Give Up On You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was supposed to be up a while ago, sorry.

“‘I can kill whoever I want,’ really, Hope?” Alaric scolds, his face flushed as he frustratedly rubs his beard. “That _isn’t_ you. This hatred in your heart comes from your father.”

Wait until he hears about what happened at the church in Blackbird. She’ll be locked in the werewolf transition cells for the next year. 

Hope crosses her arms, sinking further into the office chair. “That beard doesn’t suit you. You should really invest in a razor.”

“I-” he strokes his beard, looking like a kicked puppy. He snaps out of it a second later, pointing a reprimanding finger at her. “You have two more weeks of school. You’ve shown immense growth in both your supernatural abilities and your personal character, but you can’t kill people that upset you.”

“Jade verbally _assaulted_ me,” Hope lashes out, standing up. “And I only snapped her neck, she’ll wake soon enough.”

Alaric groans, “Verbally assaulted, what the-” He whips his head to the side like the sight of her disgusts him. “You only kill when your life is in _immediate_ danger. How am I supposed to trust that you’ll behave when you’re off at the west coast attending USC?”

“Well if Jade didn’t-” Hope is cut off mid-retort, vanilla and lavender flushing through her nose. 

_Fuck_.

“You’re going to USC?” Josie whispers, breath catching in her throat.

Hope pauses, barely turning around. She tries to speak, but sounds won’t come out. Nausea claws up her throat, and Hope has a new found admiration for Lizzie overcoming mental spirals because this- this can’t be happening.

“Were you ever going to tell me?” Josie’s voice is so small and hurt ingrains itself into mocha eyes and ivory skin. Hope’s heart _throbs_ and she desperately tries to swallow down the lump in her throat.

“Of course I was, Jo. I-” Hope can’t find the words. She doesn’t know how to soothe the brunette.

Josie wraps her arms around her body, closing herself off. “I just came in to say that Jade woke up.”

She leaves without another word, and Hope has to force herself to not run after her. If she smothers her, Josie will only push her away more. And Hope already has months of that experience.

The office is quiet for a few minutes, all she can hear is her own heart pounding heavily against her sternum. Alaric shifts in his office chair, clearing his throat. “I know it’s difficult being a teenager. Your body is still figuring out proper chemical balances, so everything always seems worse than it really is. Killing people doesn’t have to be your legacy.”

Hope sighs, shaking her head. “Bye, Dr. Saltzman.”

When the heavy wooden doors close behind her, she expects to be encased in silence, but Josie stands up from one of the waiting chairs. “Hey, we need to talk.”

Hope is surprised to see her here, assuming they wouldn’t interact for a day or two. “Uhm, yeah, okay.”

What’s even more unexpected is when Josie interlaces their fingers and pulls along Hope to a different location. They end up at the Old Mill, but Josie doesn’t stop until they’re sitting next to each other on the roof, overlooking the forest and being able to see the school in the distance. 

“So USC?” Josie asks, pulling her knees to her chest. “Couldn’t find a better school on the east coast?”

Hope shrugs, playing with her shoelaces. “I had to make a decision, and we weren’t talking. So… I created space.”

“So you wouldn’t end up getting hurt,” Josie states more than asks, her gaze dancing over her and taking all of the tribrid in. 

Hope exhales a pained laugh, shaking her head at their situation. “It seems we share a coping mechanism.”

“I’m done running, Hope,” Josie sighs, leaning closer and resting her forehead against Hope’s. “I’m willing to work through our problems together. I want you to talk to me.”

“But aren’t you still working on yourself?” Hope asks, looking down and away from puppy dog eyes. She’s never really been able to resist Josie when she uses them. “I thought I told you to prioritize yourself.”

“This is me prioritizing myself.”

Hope raises a brow, confused by her words.

“I’m not minimizing my own problems to make room for yours. This is me caring for someone who means a lot to me. So just… talk to me, please.”

So Hope does, she spills every thought that forms in her head. “I hate the way Jade looks at you. I loathe that Alaric brings up my father whenever I do something wrong, like my own faults are simply a by-product of Klaus’ cruelty. I hide the truth because it feels easier than telling it, and having people hate me because of the truth always makes my skin crawl. And I really fucking miss kissing you-”

Josie doesn’t let her finish her sentence, leaning in and ghosting her lips over Hope’s. Their lips connect almost moments later. Josie’s assertiveness throws Hope off axis, but she quickly kisses back, missing soft lips and the pressure of thumbs caressing her cheekbones. 

It’s languid, hesitant as they remember the familiar ways they move against each other. She doesn’t realize it until they break apart too soon, but she's crying. Their eyes meet and Josie reaches up once more, stroking her cheek and wiping away salty trails. 

“I was wondering when you would say something,” Josie’s voice cracks with her whispers, throat raw with emotion. Their so close as her breath brushes against Hope’s skin. “I was beginning to give up on you.”

Hope flashes a watery smile. The moonlight gleams against the brunette’s skin and twinkles in her irises. “You say that as if I’ve stopped loving you.”

“I know you wouldn’t,” Josie flicks her hair behind her shoulder, shrugging with a smirk. “I’m too pretty to hate.”

Hope pushes Josie onto her back, resting a hand behind her head to assure she doesn’t hurt her skull. “You’re beautiful.” Josie melts further into the tiles of the roof, and Hope runs her nose along Josie’s. 

They lean in to kiss once more. This one far more confident than the last. The fluttering of her heart intensifies as the kiss deepens, loving the way Josie’s tongue feels against hers, the way it makes the younger girl moan when she gently bites down on her bottom lip. 

Josie breaks away first, lungs burning with the lack of oxygen. Hope listens to Josie breathe, picks up on the pounding of the Saltzman’s heart, and she nestles further into the girl, comforted by her simply being alive. 

After another moment of them simply holding each other, Hope notices the subtle way their hearts are beating to the same tune. A laugh bubbles out of her, and then another, and another. She laughs so freely with such weightlessness that she’s unaware of the magic she releases, causing fireflies to flock towards them and light up the surrounding foliage.

Josie pouts at her, turning Hope’s head to face her once more. “Why are you laughing?” 

Hope’s grin effectively puts a smile on Josie’s face too. “I was remembering when you first told me you loved me. Our hearts were beating in sync like they are now.”

Josie rests her hand on Hope’s sternum, focusing on the continuous lull of a heartbeat beneath her palm. “It’s odd, isn’t it?” Hope asks, eyes roaming all over the siphoner, memorizing for the millionth time that night the way she looks at her. 

“I think…” Josie pauses, eyes flicking down to Hope’s lips. “it’s astronomical.”

Hope kisses along Josie’s neck, praising the hollow of her throat, and dances her lips across prominent collarbones. She finally travels back to Josie’s lips when-

“Hope look!” Josie’s eyes widen as she points behind her. The blue eyed girl whips around her upper body, inhaling sharply as she sees the fireflies that have gathered around them; tiny specks of golden light, twinkling against arrays of greenery. 

Josie shifts under her, trying to get a better look, but Hope realizes their slipping, sliding down the slant of the roof. “Jo, don’t-”

Hope can’t stop their descent and Josie yelps when they finally tumble off the roof. She holds the younger girl to her chest, forcing Josie to land on top of her when they inevitably crash into the ground. She feels her spine cramp as she breaks their fall, but they’re both okay. 

Then Josie is giggling sweetly, like a child who’s playing with their favorite toy. The tribrid is quick to follow, unable to breathe properly as they laugh in unison. Magic emerges from the both of them in waves, and they accidentally cause a field of flowers to bloom around them. 

And when everything is calm and they both settle, Josie says with an unwavering finality. “I’ve missed you, Hope Mikaelson.”

-

Hope can’t sleep. 

After talking to Josie, they separated for the night with soft giggles and loving glances. They promised to have breakfast at the dock together tomorrow after Hope finished training with Rafael and Kaleb, and she’s deciding on whether to cook something or to pick up meals from the cafeteria. Being able to be with her again filled a void in her chest that had been swallowing her whole for a while. 

Now that her love life is steadily mending, no longer reminding her of claws ripping through her organs, she’s in a better headspace. Although, many threats still linger, both to the school and her own life, and a voice in the back of her head is obsessing over solutions to her problems.

That’s how she ends up with her phone tucked to her ear, pacing the wooden floorboards that line her room. Rings continue to blare as she waits, biting her lip and wondering if its still too early in the morning for him to answer.

“If it isn’t my favorite Mikaelson.” Hope can practically see the grin on his face. 

“Don’t tell Auntie Bex that,” she quips, smiling as warmth spreads through her. Talking to her family never ceases to put her in a good mood. 

Marcel chuckles, having missed his niece dearly. “She’ll always be a close second. But what’s up? Isn’t it midnight over there?”

“Can’t I call you without an ulterior motive?” Hope mocks offense, but it’s true; she hasn’t called her relatives without needing something in a long time. She’ll be better about that in the future, still owing her Aunt Freya another visit.

Nik was probably upset at her for leaving now that she thinks of it. 

He hums, amused at the question. “Considering Rebekah had to fly to Virginia in order to finally talk to you, I’d say it’s unlikely for you to call just to call.”

She pouts, stopping her pacing. “I will admit that I need to call more often. I miss you guys, but… I do need help with something.”

“I’m listening.”

“How do you feel about going on a witch-hunt?” 

“My morning is booked, but I’ll take a flight by evening,” he assured, shuffling on the other end of the line. “Rebekah will be elated to visit.”

“Thank you, Marcel.”

“Anything for you, Hope.”

-

Hope weaves around attacks, avoiding getting striked in the face. Rafael and Kaleb are coming at her hard, relentless as they charge. Narrowly dodging Rafael’s punch, she grabs him by the arm and kicks his legs from under him, throwing him to the floor. Kaleb doesn’t give her a second to breathe, slamming his foot into her rib cage. 

Whipping around to face him, she evades a punch to the throat and hurls a fist into his solar plexus. The wind is knocked out of him, opening him up to a sweep kick; he drops like a fly. 

Rafael groans, sitting up. “At this point you’ll dethrone me from my alpha position.” 

“Oh I definitely could.” Hope smirks, offering her hand to him and pulling him up. “But I’d never leave the crescent wolves.”

“I need to feed after that smack down,” Kaleb grunted, standing up. “I’m going to find Jed.”

He parts from them with fist bumps and bro hugs, complaining under his breath about werewolf stench. Hope merely laughs at his antics, rebutting that he reeks of cadaver. Rafael waves goodbye, leaving to hang with his pack. 

Hope returns to the school, wanting to cook breakfast for her date with Josie, but when she enters through the front doors, someone runs into her. The scent of home and baked goods lick at her nostrils, and Hope’s arms extend out, catching the person before they fall.

Josie squeaks, not expecting to be saved from flopping onto wooden floors. When she looks up, Hope is grinning down at her, exuding warmth and comfort. Pulling her back upright, she grabs the wicker basket with a blanket covering its contents. 

Smelling food, she remembers that last night they didn’t specify who was going to make breakfast, but she’s absolutely delighted that Josie already brought their meal. 

“Morning, Jo,” Hope greets softly, intertwining their hands. 

Josie’s eyes graze across her skin, taking in all of her taut muscles exposed by her workout clothes (a sports bra and leggings). Hope smirks, tugging Josie outside and towards the lake. “We only have an hour until classes start, and I want to spend every second with you.”

The brunette giggled beside her, the both of them giddy to be with each other. Hope knows they haven’t labeled anything yet, understanding that falling back into it is an assiduous process. Besides, labels are overrated; it’s why she doesn’t have one set term to define her sexual orientation. 

She just loves women.

More specifically Josie Saltzman.

Hope twirls Josie, her baby blue sundress flaring upwards at the motion. She squeaks in surprise, unprepared for the spin, but graceful and poised nevertheless. Hope brings her close, stopping her when they’re chest to chest and inhaling each other’s breath. Her eyes flicker down to soft rosy lips before gazing into-

She jumps back, breathing roughly as her heart stutters. Narrowed irises, furrowed brows, lips pressed in a thin line. Abomination. 

_Abomination_. 

_Clingy._

_Controlling._

_Manipulative._

Nausea crawls like a spider up her esophagus, twirling silky webs at the back of her throat and threatening to shut her airway. 

_Her eyes open, and they’re ablaze with sudden rage. Josie rips her hand from Hope and pushes against her chest, forcing Hope to take a step back. The siphoner’s voice is thick with fury when she chokes out, “You should’ve let me die!”_

“Hope?” Concerned eyes. Pouty lips. Fond demeanor. “What’s wrong?”

Hope clears her throat, lightly shaking her head and expelling terrible memories. She pulls the blanket from the basket and lays it across the docks. Slipping off her shoes, she’s about to sit down, but Josie is gently holding her wrist and coaxing her to look into mocha irises. 

“What happened?” Josie isn’t annoyed nor upset. She cares for Hope’s well being, wanting to know what bothers her.

“It’s nothing.” She shrugs, avoiding the Saltzman’s eyes.

Josie looks like she wants to fight, seeing right through Hope’s indifference. Instead of lashing out, she sighs softly, her thumb soothingly rubbing the inside of her wrist. “I understand that some topics may be difficult, considering everything that’s happened between us—all of the things I don’t remem-” 

Josie gasps, a sharp pain cutting through her thoughts. She digs her palms into her forehead as she breathes heavily through her mouth. Hope knows what this is, having been there when the brunette has experienced it a few times before. 

It’s her memory headaches. Josie gets them when she thinks too hard about when she was hexed. 

With a hug and reassuring words, Hope whispers a pain reduction incantation. She’s done it a handful of times now, and it usually helps with Josie’s physical symptoms. 

“-But it’s important that we eventually talk about it,” Josie finishes when her skull no longer feels like there’s a fissure forming in her bones. 

Hope hasn’t realized it until now, but her first instinct is always to hide her feelings, her thoughts. Keep them locked away until they scream at her to be released, flowing out of her with vigorous waves of magic that are lethal to all near. She wonders if that’s something she subconsciously learned from her father. 

Josie bites her lip, cupping Hope’s cheek with her free hand. “If you have something to say, say it.”

Hope relaxes into the touch, closing her eyes and soaking up a second of reprieve. “You were always able to read me so well,” she chuckles somberly. When she allows the light to return to her vision, Josie is still standing before her supportive and loving. Hope is suddenly reminded of the day they kissed in the pouring rain after a heated argument. 

She inhales sharply, mentally preparing herself before she bares her soul to the siphoner. “Sometimes, I’m reminded of when you were hexed. The words cling to a vulnerable part of my brain and come forth at the most inconvenient of times. I’m confident in myself to know that they’re all false words brought forth by dark magic, but…”

Her voice is thick, an odd octave lower as she tries to remain calm. “You’re the one person whose words mean the most to me, so it _breaks me_.”

Hope can’t continue further. From the way her throat is growing tight and her vision is blurring, she’ll begin to cry. 

Josie gathers her into her arms, desperate to mend everything that’s happened in the past three months. 

Her memories are lost, but Hope was affected greatly by the moments she can’t remember. 

Josie’s only hope is that the older girl in her arms can separate Hexed Josie from her real self.

The brunette opts to distract. “The fireflies we attracted last night… I think they were a sign.”

Hope looks up, gaze cloudy and distraught. Despite what’s stuck in her head, she’s pleased to be held by Josie. Her warmth and scent a quiet solace. 

“They’re just beetles,” Hope shrugs, then leans into Josie once more, smothering her snot into the siphoner’s dress. 

“Ew, Hope!” Josie mocks disgust, albeit laughing at the tribrid. She places strong hands on Hope’s cheeks, assuring that the blue-eyed girl is looking right at her. “Fireflies signify hope and guidance. They-”

“-They’re superficial and are only there for the aesthetic?”

“ _Hope_ ,” Josie says softly, almost as a plea. Her thumbs rub soothingly across the apples of Hope’s cheeks. “They remind us that the light within ourselves can attract positive things in our life, like a beacon.”

“Is this a way to bulldoze through my issues because Jo-”

“No, that’s not-” Josie stammers, trying to find the right words. “Forget the fireflies. I hate that I hurt you. That I put you through so much pain, and it kills me that the words I’ve said still haunt you. I never want to trivialize your trauma and experiences.”

Hope bites her lip, a little lost for words. She wants to lash out on someone, but not Josie. The Chang coven has a target on their backs, and she’s willing to shoot to kill. 

Josie continues speaking, pulling Hope away from her bloodlust. “I always want you to feel safe, and supported, and… _loved_.”

Hope sighs, tucking her head into the crook of Josie’s neck. “And _I do_. Let’s just enjoy breakfast before school starts, yeah?”

And that’s exactly what they do. Josie prepared warm bowls of cherry oatmeal and cold mason jars of yogurt parfaits. When she also pulls out a handful of beignets, Hope almost cries a little. She is quick to finish her food, hungry after her morning workout. They joke about trivial things, and Hope describes her most recent painting—a portrait of Rebekah Mikaelson herself. 

Josie even brought her ukulele, playing Hope shortened version of mainstream songs. The tribrid enjoys being serenaded, loves the feeling of weightlessness when she’s around her. In the moments that she can forget the past three months, her life feels relatively perfect. 

The only thing that bothers her right now though is that Josie is hesitant to touch her, which is ludicrous because the brunette is the most touchy-feely person she knows of. So Hope is left to initiate every form of contact, which isn’t bad per se, but she likes being held without having to explicitly say it. 

Is this where her bad communication skills stem from? Should she be more vocal about her wants?

Eventually their time comes to an end, and Josie grumpily packs away their things with a wave of her hand. Hope laughs at her adorable pout, pulling her into a hug and reaching onto her tippy toes to kiss Josie’s cheeks. 

“I’ll meet up with you at break and lunch,” Hope promises, leading Josie back to school. 

“Wait! I forgot something,” Josie says, walking Hope back to the dock. She scans the dock, looking for something that Hope can’t see. There’s nothing left on the wooden structure. And it isn’t until Hope has her back turned on Josie that she truly feels weightless—

She’s falling. 

“Jo no!” Hope shrieks before crashing into cold waters. Her body soaks in the cool temperature, but her werewolf genes kick in, naturally keeping her body temperature warm.

When she breaks through the surface, she immediately glares at the Saltzman who is smiling cheekily and sitting on the edge of the dock. “You’re evil.”

With a smirk, Josie tosses her hair behind her shoulder. “But you like it,” she replies seductively, looking at Hope through long lashes. 

“I do.” Hope pulls herself up to rest her arms on the dock, knowing fully that Josie is savoring her muscles on display. She boosts herself up even further, tilting her head into Josie and letting their lips graze. When their lips find a home within each other, Hope wraps her arms around the siphoner and drags her into the water.

As they fall to the bottom of the lake, Hope pulls Josie into her, wrapping her hand around the back of her neck and kissing her. Submerged underwater, all they can feel is the heat of the other, intimate and tender. 

When Hope accidentally inhales water, her nostrils and throat searing, she floats back to the surface. She coughs fervently, trying to get rid of the fire caught within her airway. Josie breaks through the surface after her, inhaling deeply before laughing at the blue-eyed girl’s pain. 

Hope pouts—an action she only reserves for the brunette she’s still holding onto. “Don’t look at me like that.” Josie scrunches her nose. “You’re the one who tried to drown me.”

“You pushed me into the water first.”

Josie taps her chin, feigning oblivion. “I don’t recall that.”

Hope rolls her eyes, cupping Josie’s cheeks and melding their lips together. She runs her tongue along Josie’s bottom lip before biting down. The moan that slips past plump lips awakens something deep within Hope, causing her to push Josie into a dock post and slot her thigh between the apex of Josie’s slender legs. 

The younger girl gasps in surprise, but quickly finds herself, sliding her hands down to Hope’s butt and squeezing roughly. Feeling Josie’s lips crash into her with more passion, Hope reciprocates just as eagerly. 

When Hope picks up on the harsh snapping of twigs, she immediately shields the mocha eyed girl, looking in the general direction of the interruption. 

“What is it?” Josie tucks her head into Hope’s neck, stilling herself and avoiding further splashing around water. 

Golden sprinkles into her vision, a natural reaction to potential danger. Josie siphons from her, emanating a crimson glow between them. Hope takes a deep breath, allowing her werewolf olfactory receptors to kick in. 

Blood and…

Creed Aventus. 

Hope sighs softly, blinking away glimmering hues within her irises. She grabs Josie’s hand and leads her out of the lake, assuring, “We’re not in danger.”

“Then what’s wrong?”

Hope helps Josie squeeze the excess water from her dress and hair, knowing that they’re already late for their classes but uncaring. They can afford to skip another study period. “Just promise me you won’t do anything rash.”

“What?”

Stepping out from the treeline, Roman emerges looking a little hesitant. Josie immediately raises her palms, on the offensive. Ever since Hayley’s death three years ago, she’s accumulated every fire spell known in witch history. 

Josie isn’t a particularly violent person; she prefers to only use spells as a form of defense. 

But for years, she’s wanted to watch him burn.

Hope doesn’t let her recite an incantation though, immediately stepping in front of her to block her way. “What’s wrong, Roman?”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to intrude,” he says, visibly distressed. Josie is likely glaring at him over Hope’s shoulder. “Dr. Saltzman told me to fetch Josie, said it was important.”

“You can leave now,” Josie practically growls, and Hope almost turns around and peppers her with kisses. Protective Josie turns her on in ways she’ll never be able to explain in words. 

Roman bites his lip, like he has something more to say, like he doesn’t want to walk away. Instead, he flees the scene with vampiric speed, leaves jumping into the air with the wind he created. 

“Why does he bother you so much?” Hope’s voice is delicate, not wanting to offend Josie. “He won’t hurt me anymore.”

“Jealousy is a dangerous feeling,” Josie recites her words from the other day.

Hope smiles coyly, intertwining their fingers. “Let’s go back. I don’t want you to catch a cold from being in wet clothes. You can talk to Alaric after.”

-

By the time lunch rolls around, Hope is exhausted. She’s crammed years worth of information into her head, assuring she won’t fail any of her finals. Since when were there so many ingredients in memory altering potions? And it takes a month to brew. Or was it two?

She needs a nap.

Hope is heading to the dining hall, making good on her promise to see Josie during their breaks, but she’s surprised (and a little more than irked) to find Jade sitting at their table. 

It’s like she wants Hope to snap her neck again.

Of course, she’s more than willing to oblige. 

But when she struts to the table, Josie catches her gaze and her entire demeanor radiates joy. And god, Hope can’t possibly be more enamored with this girl than she already is. 

So, instead of immediately picking a fight with a haughty vampire, she slides in next to Josie and wraps a possessive arm around her waist. She’s pleased when the brunette rests her head on her shoulder, and utterly satisfied when the blonde rolls her eyes. 

“You two made up quickly. I wonder how long that will last,” Jade snarks, taking a sip from her blood bag and flashing red eyes. 

Venom pools in Hope’s mouth, thick and lethal. She flares her werewolf eyes, just as dangerous. But she knows this won’t escalate. Josie won’t allow for another fight, and Hope is thinking this is more a display of power than anything else. “Always and-”

Hope bites her tongue, knowing those three words hold a weight that the two of them probably will never be ready for. The thought makes her heart throb.

“ _Jade_ ,” Josie cuts in with a warning. “We’re here on civil terms, remember?”

Jade physically softens at Josie’s words, and the lights flicker above them, the action unintentional as magic surges through Hope. 

Does she really have to sit here and watch Jade pine over Josie for the next half hour?

Beside her, the younger girl runs her hand along the base of Hope’s spine, causing her tense muscles to relax and her shoulders to sag. Over the years of knowing each other, Josie has found the exact nuances of pressure that unfolds all of the tightness within her. 

The smallest act of comfort makes Hope settle completely. 

“Anyhow, Jade will be accompanying the Super Squad more often.” Hope wants to protest, a billion arguments on the tip of her tongue, but Josie’s thumb massages her hip—another indicator to appease her rising temper. “It’s what my dad wanted to talk about with me earlier. Jade appears to be showing signs of ripper inclined behavior. So Jade and MG are now working through their impulses together. Dad thinks it’ll be beneficial.”

Well that’s fucking great. 

Were two weeks of peace too much to ask for?

Hope nods, reluctant to accept the news. Can she really handle two weeks with someone as pompous as Jade?

The rest of their friends filter into the dining hall, plopping down with trays of food. Hope was too drained to remember to grab something to eat, but Josie offers her other vegetarian enchilada. And who is Hope to turn down enchiladas?

MG begins the conversation, “So I just rewatched Black Widow, and I found out…” 

Hope blocks out the rest of it. Superhero movies never interested her as much as other action movies, like Fast and Furious or the Hunger Games. So she sticks to listening in on the small giggles that Josie lets out as she listens to MG. 

The sound is a pleasant song to her ears. 

When the end of lunch bell rings, they all gather their things, but Hope stops them before they can leave. “I’m calling a Super Squad meeting at three in my room.”

“Woah, what’s wrong?” Jed asks, frowning the slightest.

Kaleb adds, “Yeah, meetings are only held when something is wrong.”

Rafael says, “I thought we took care of that Blackbird coven.”

“Oh god,” Lizzie squints at Hope and Josie. “You two are eloping, aren’t you?”

“What!” Hope squeaks, face flushing scarlet. “Lizzie no! We- uh-” she clears her throat and erases any thought of Josie in a spectacular white gown. “I need to clear the air about something I said the other day. Just be there, okay?”

There’s a chorus of agreements before they split ways. 

Eloping? 

Lizzie is always aiming to give Hope a heart attack.

-

Hope barely collapses onto her bed when there’s a knock on her door. 

“It’s open!” she calls out, words muffled by a pillow. 

Whoever it is walks in and and flops onto the bed beside her. 

“Can you play jazz music, please?” At the sound of Josie’s honeyed voice, Hope turns onto her side. 

“I thought you hated jazz?” Hope frowns the slightest, reaching out and tucking a piece of hair behind Josie’s ear.

“I do, but you like to listen to music on your rough days.” Josie nuzzles Hope’s side, head resting on her shoulder. The older girl smiles to herself, combing her fingers through silky brunette strands. Clenching her hand into a fist, magic turns on her record player and shrouds the two witches. 

Hope is content as they lay there. She’s uncomfortable in her uniform, but doesn’t complain as she clutches to Josie. The lull of music is enough combined with the comfort of being loved allows the haziness of sleep to creep in. 

Her eyes flutter open when Josie questions her gingerly with an underlying tone of admiration. “You kept them up?”

“Kept what up?”

“The stars. Our pictures. The portrait I tried to draw of you.” Josie looks up at her with shimmering irises. Teardrops tumble down her cheeks and slide down her neck.

Hope’s throat closes and her mouth dries. She croaks dolorously, “I almost ripped everything down, but a small, optimistic part of myself always thought you would come back to me.”

“Thank you for waiting,” Josie murmurs, wiping her tears on Hope’s blouse. 

Hope shrugs, massaging her thumb over Josie’s hipbone. “Anything for you, my dearest Josette.”

A snort escapes Josie at the use of her entire fool name, and she shifts her positions, tipping forward to connect their lips. It’s slow and tender as their mouths move against each other. 

She’s missed the intimacy of being with someone who loves her in the deepest way possible. 

The two girls don’t have enough time to pull apart from each other before two people burst into the room. 

“Oh god! Baby get the bleach! My _eyes_.” Lizzie mocks them. Hope groans in complaint while Josie pouts at her twin.

MG chuckles sheepishly, pulling his girlfriend back through the way they came. “We’ll come back later.”

“No!” Josie calls out. “It’s fine, really.” 

Hope doesn’t think it’s fine, whining in protest. The mocha eyed girl places a delicate kiss on her forehead, effectively placating Hope. 

When the couple comes back into the room, sitting at the foot of Hope’s bed, the tribrid huffs and crosses her arms, “Normal people knock, you know.” 

“ _Please_ , normal people lock their door,” the blonde siphoner retorts, rolling her eyes.  
Hope doesn’t get to bite out a rebuttal because Josie soothingly kisses her shoulders, and the rest of their friends filter into the room. Kaleb sits on a beanbag, pulling Jed onto his lap; meanwhile, Rafael claims her desk chair, spinning around to his heart’s content. 

“So what’s the deal, Hope?” Kaleb asks, arms wrapped around Jed. 

Rafael grabs a bag of limon chips that were stored inside Hope’s desk, munching on them as he mumbles, “What do you need to clear the air about?”

With their friends assembled, Hope begins, “I lied. Well, partly.” 

All attention is on her—curious by her confession. 

Hope takes a deep breath, mentally preparing herself for her admission. “The night the Blackbird coven attacked Salvatore… I found out Josie’s talisman was hexed. It was brimming with dark magic, and I couldn’t remove it myself. Later that night, I performed a tracing spell with the twins, and- and Alyssa Chang was the perpetrator.”

A wave of complaints erupts in the room, livid at the person who hurt their friend, their family. 

“Wait, let me finish,” Hope cuts through all of them, clinging to Josie’s hand for support. When Josie squeezes back, resting her chin on the older girl’s shoulder, the auburn haired girl continues, “Alyssa was forced to do it. Her coven threatened to take away her magic if she didn’t. I’m still unsure about how they can do that, but I can understand her desperation to not be powerless.” 

She clenches her jaw, feeling her blood pressure rise at the thought of someone tormenting her love. 

She’ll soak the seas with their blood.

“To go off of what Hope was saying,” Josie adds, mentioning more information, “There was once a way to take away someone’s magic—a purification spell that originated from the Travelers. They purified Mystic Falls, essentially depowering any object or supernatural being created by magic if one were to cross into its borders. But the spell was halted when one of the doppelgängers used to create the spell died, and Kai siphoned the rest of the spell, negating its effects on the supernatural community.”

Jed whispers to Kaleb, “What’s a doppelgänger?”

“Babe, we learned about them in Supernatural Species 105,” Kaleb replies, shaking his head disappointedly. 

“Sorry,” Jed murmurs, “I was too busy staring at you in that class.”

A beat passes. Kaleb smiles affectionately at the werewolf before leaning in and sharing a heated kiss. 

Hope melts at the shared interaction, loving seeing her friends be in a healthy and happy relationship.

She returns to the original conversation. “Although, with all doppelgängers extinct, I’m unaware of other rituals to bind magic. Nevertheless, we’ve convened for another reason.”

“A Super Squad roadtrip?” MG guesses excitedly. “I’ve been wanting to go on vacation.”

“Ooh! How about a week in Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica!” Lizzie suggests, clapping her hands. “I’ve always wanted to visit Central America.” 

“I- uh, no,” Hope declines, exasperatedly sighing into the crook of Josie’s neck. “We can make more concrete plans in the summer if that’s something everyone wants to do. But as of right now, I wanted to invite everyone here on a witch-hunt.” 

“It’s the 21st century,” Lizzie scoffs, crossing her arms. “To think we’d progress past witch trials.” 

“Petition to relabel Hope’s witch trials to the ‘Jumpsuit Pursuit’ where we all wear sick jumpsuits,” MG proposes, beaming eagerly. 

Lizzie nods in agreement, hugging her boyfriend to her chest. “I can rock a leather jumpsuit.”

Hope gapes at them. “Absolutely _not_. Two excellent and experienced individuals will be joining us, and jumpsuits aren’t their thing.”

Jumpsuits aren’t really anybody’s thing. Catwoman is like the only person capable of looking good in a jumpsuit.

Then again, Josie looks good in literally everything.

Maybe…

“Wait, who’s joining us?” Rafael inquires, spinning once more in the swivel chair. 

“It’s a surprise.” Hope shrugs coyly.

“Your surprises suck,” Lizzie complains, laying back and resting her head on MG’s lap. 

Hope is mildly offended. She utters under her breath, “They’re great.”

Josie snorts, hearing Hope’s words. She huskily hums into the ocean eyed girl’s ear, “I love your surprises.”

Hope immediately flushes as she resists the urge to straddle Josie. She clears her throat, unsubtly crossing her legs while Lizzie gags at her, feigning repulsion. 

Hope doesn’t even have to shift the conversation to a less embarrassing topic because her door slams open and in walks the goddess herself, Rebekah Mikaelson. 

“What did I say! Mikaelsons always have to make an entrance,” Lizzie repeats her words from the night of the Blackbird attack. 

“Did someone mention jumpsuits?” Her Auntie Bex questions, and that’s when Hope realizes she’s wearing a burgundy velvet jumpsuit. 

“Ooh, I like her,” Lizzie sits up, sending a dazzling smile to Hope’s aunt. 

An instant later, Marcel super speeds into the room, wrapping an arm around Rebekah and kissing her forehead. “I like her, too.” He smirks playfully.

Hope almost bursts into tears. 

It’s completely unintentional, and she even knew they were visiting.

Even so…

Hope hasn’t been surrounded by so many people who love in a while. 

Josie reassuringly squeezes her hand, noticing Hope’s change in demeanor. 

If a tear or two slips pass her waterline, she won’t admit it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you liked it! Please feel free to leave a comment, they mean a lot.
> 
> If I don't update for like another month, oops. 
> 
> Tweet me something on twitter @_halcyone
> 
> Love you all, thank you for the support.


	7. Demons

Hope feels safe. She’s one of the most powerful supernaturals on the face of the planet, but that doesn’t mean she’s consistently fearless. She’s confident in herself, in her fierce abilities, but being alone has always put her on edge. 

When she was hiding her true identity, being known as a Marshall instead of a Mikaelson, the loneliness was suffocating. It didn’t weigh down on her fully then because she had her family and Roman, but when her parents died, everything came crashing down. 

It was terribly difficult to feel secure when enemies charged at her full force, and all she had was a grieving extended family to protect her. When she was at school, she was only left with herself.

But now, as she stands in a room filled with people who have her back, Hope feels invulnerable.

She also feels reassured and soothed as Rebekah and Marcel gather her into a hug. Their strong arms and steady embrace comfort her, and the mixing scents of Chanel N°5 and Nautica Voyage with a hint of blood enshroud her in familiarity. 

After yet another tearful reunion with Rebekah and Marcel, Hope explains the situation with the Chang coven. She shares every piece of information she’s collected, mentioning any minute detail which admittedly is still minimal. 

As Hope lists off all of her knowledge, a throbbing pain scrapes against Josie’s temples. It creeps in slowly at first—the slight tremble of her head, gone as fast as it came. A pinching sensation at her forehead, only strong enough to make her blink away the feeling. Then a mild pulse at the base of her skull, causing her to grip onto Hope’s arm tighter.

It’s subtle and she mistakes the feeling for being exhausted. She’s been working all morning on the final drafts for her end of the year papers, so she could honestly use a nap. 

At the climax of her pain, the splintering crashes through her, like someone is hammering away at her parietal bones, smashing them over and _over_ again. Josie’s head dips down as her spine hunches over. She rocks for a second, thinking it’ll be over in a few moments. 

Hope stops talking, worry etched into normally soft features. She tries to get Josie’s attention, asking her what’s wrong but failing to gain an answer. It isn’t until tears smear flushed cheeks that a sob rakes forth from her throat. 

Gathering the brunette into her arms, Hope kisses her forehead and whispers a pain reduction spell. Josie’s sobs turn into whimpers before they completely fade away. Still concerned for the younger girl, Hope asks, “Do you need to take a break? I don’t want to trigger another headache.” 

Josie swallows the lump in her throat before shaking her head. “No, I’m fine. Promise.”

Hope looks at her skeptically, biting her lip because she knows that Josie’s still in pain. Not wanting to push her on this, she kisses her forehead once more before turning back to the rest of the room, trying to remember where they last left off. 

Rebekah sends her an expectant look though, curious as to what happened to Josie moments before. Hope calmingly rubs circles into the siphoner’s spine as she explains, “Jo’s missing memories cause her irregular bouts of headaches.”

“Ahh,” Rebekah hums, playing with Marcel’s hands. “Have you tried a memory potion?”

Hope shakes her head, glancing at Josie. “She doesn’t want to further lose her memories. Besides, they weren’t particularly happy moments.”

“I’ll call Freya later,” Rebekah offers, smiling kindly. “Surely we’ll figure something out.”

Her lips quirk the slightest. “Thank you.” 

They all fall back into planning, tossing out suggestions and joking about taking tours in Chicago.

Marcel advises asking around the vampire communities in three different cities in Illinois. Jed and Rafael offer to investigate the nearby werewolf packs, and they opt to stay away from the witch covens, not wanting there to be gossip within the witch community that supernaturals are asking around for information on the Changs. 

As they continue to strategize and choose their groups to split into, Josie grows apprehensive beside her. “What’re we doing when we find them?”

“It’s imperative that once any of us find information that we regroup and under no circumstance engage,” Marcel implores, staring at some of the teenagers resolutely. 

“That’s not what I meant.” Josie shakes her head, looking at Hope dead in the eye. “What are we _doing_ once we find the coven?”

“Isn’t that obvious?” Hope asks, her lips tugging into a frown. 

Realization dawns on Josie. Her lips part into an “o” as she finally understands. “You can’t be serious. My dad just had a conversation with you about killing people.”

“They forced Alyssa into hexing you, and they’re certainly capable of doing much worse,” Hope argues, leaning away from the siphoner. “People end up dead when they attack Mikaelsons. You know this.”

Josie feels desperate, caught between her loyalty to Hope and her morals. She turns to her twin, begging for some form of support. “Lizzie?”

“I was watching you tear yourself apart for the past three months, Jo,” Lizzie recounts, shaking her head. “All you did was love this supernatural fruit salad-”

“Hey!”

“-and were hurt because of it,” the blonde continues, grasping MG’s hand tightly at the thought of her twin being emotionally distraught. “It’s war the second anyone touches you.”

“But _killing_ people won’t stop the cycle of violence,” Josie states, almost begs for them to understand.

“Jo,” Hope sighs, and Josie flinches, knowing the tribrid’s next words will be patronizing. “So long as I’m alive, you’ll have a bounty on your head. You _all_ will.”

“But-”

“You don’t have to go,” Hope declares, shrugging her shoulders. She then turns to the rest of the room. “None of you have to go. There are finals coming up, and once we graduate, none of you will be dragged down by the Mikaelson orbit. You can leave.”

“No,” Rafael says, crossing his arms and shaking his head somberly. “You don’t get to push us away again.”

“Yeah Hope,” Jed agrees, nodding fervently. “Years of friendship thrown away because douchebags hate your existence? Nah, loneliness doesn’t suit you anymore.”

The rest of the group agrees with the wolves’ sentiments, providing their support to Hope wholly. But Josie sits beside her, stiff as a board, purposely avoiding her gaze. She’s stuck between a rock and a hard place because how shitty would it be to be the only person who doesn’t have Hope’s back, but she can’t stop thinking about the consequences of killing the rest of Alyssa’s family.

So Josie fakes a smile, wraps her arm around Hope, and prays to whatever deity that this won’t split them apart yet again. 

-

When everyone leaves to pack, Hope subtly moves her head to tell Rebekah and Marcel to disappear, and she pulls on Josie’s sleeve and asks her to stay.

Hope finds a duffle bag, shuffling around her room as she prepares. It’s quiet for a moment as Josie just watches her, sitting crisscrossed with her back against the headboard. 

“You know, I’ve been thinking about something,” Hope says, folding a long sleeve shirt. “It’s been circling my mind for a while.”

Josie sits straighter, aware that another intense conversation is about to ensue.

“Why are you so willing to kill Roman but are hesitant to kill a witch coven who hexed you?” Hope peeks through her lashes, still folding clothes. Her gaze is piercing, and Josie feels like prey cornered into a trap. 

“It’s not like that-”

“But it is, Jo,” Hope stresses, haphazardly folding jeans and tossing them into her duffle, a little too heated to care. “You’re on the cusp of killing him every time he’s around me. What’s the difference between him and the Changs? He betrayed me; they forced Alyssa to hex you.”

“They’re two different circumstances,” Josie desperately tries to defend. “You can’t compare them.”

Josie doesn’t understand why there’s such a disconnect between them. They were fine this morning when they had breakfast at the dock; they were fine an hour ago when they were listening to jazz and holding each other. 

Murder doesn’t have to be their only counter move.

“Is it jealousy then?” Hope interrogates, pacing the room as she stops packing altogether. “You’ll only kill someone if they impose on your territory over me?”

Josie scoffs, offended at the accusation. “You’re not my possession, Hope. This has nothing to do with that backstabber.”

Hope steps back, looking around frantically. Flashes rattle through her brain; Josie appears all across the room. Furrowed brows, constricted pupils, ruthless demeanor. 

Whispers cloud her hearing, curling around her ears and sending shivers down her spine. 

_Clingy._

_Controlling._

_Manipulative._

The insults circle around her head, a perpetual dissonance of derision.

Like a knife slicing butter, one memory cuts through all of it. 

_“You’re being possessive, Hope,” Josie hissed, eyes narrowed. “Crawl back to your room and cry about nobody loving you.”_

_Hope leaned back, feeling like someone reached into her chest and broke through her sternum, grasping at her vital organ._

_They were in the dining hall, once more causing a scene. Hope hadn’t even done anything, well, she hadn’t said anything. She was sitting at a table in the back, ignoring her plate of food and opting to watch Josie from across the room. They hadn’t talked in a while because every time Hope tried Josie would send her away with insults that attacked insecurities only the brunette knew of._

_But then some witch with purple highlights and the ugliest swoop of bangs decided to sit down next to the twins. Hope had no qualms with that of course, especially considering many witches asked them for help with their assignments, but it was what the witch was doing that set off Hope._

_They were playing with Josie’s hand, going as far as kissing her knuckles, and Lizzie’s mouth fell open in shock at the action. Beside her, MG’s eyebrows practically raised to his hairline, and Rafael was choking on his hamburger. Hope was bending the metal fork in her hand, jaw clenched tightly. The brunette was uncaring for the gesture, simply carrying on the conversation as if some imbecile wasn’t making out with her hand._

_It was completely intentional when her eyes gleamed with their brightest golden hues; she was imagining the ceiling caving in on them. The fork in hand snapped in two when they tucked a strand of Josie’s hair behind her ear. A deep groan of wood wailed throughout the hall, and Josie immediately stood up, shifting her head the slightest degree and pinning Hope with a staggering glare._

_The entire room fell eerily silent, everyone holding their breaths. Josie’s platforms heavily dropped against wooden floorboards with every calculated step forward. Behind her, Lizzie was signaling to her, rather aggressively pointing to the exit. Hope ignored it, gritting her teeth and standing her ground._

_That’s when she said it, leaning down and pressing her palms into the table._

_“You’re being possessive, Hope,” Josie hissed, eyes narrowed. “Crawl back to your room and cry about nobody loving you.”_

Her whole body trembles, shaking as her breathing turns ragged. 

“Then what is it!” the tribrid bellows, effectively shutting off all of the voices that are knocking around her skull. Miserably, she tries to _forget_.

All sounds cease. Josie is startled into silence.

Hope walks around the room, desperately trying to ground herself. The flashbacks are sending her into a constant state of whiplash as they torment her. Her mind is being overloaded with too many scenes, too many sounds. It’s suffocating her.

And Josie can’t even tell. 

“If we kill the Changs, Alyssa really won’t have anyone to turn to,” Josie asserts, feeling like she’s pleading with Hope to have some ounce of empathy. “She’ll really be alone.”

“She’s tormented us ever since we were kids,” Hope reminds her, shaking her head, still pacing. _Abomination. Pathetic. Selfish._ “It’s not like she doesn’t deserve it.”

_Possessive. You’re being possessive._

“You don’t mean that.”

Hope shrugs, indifference written into her features. If Josie were to look closer, she’d be able to see the shaking of Hope’s hands and the wildness peeking through her gaze. But she doesn’t look closer, not yet at least, too focused on the conversation at hand.

“You’re the _one_ person who should know the importance of family,” Josie chides, hands clenched into fists. Her breathing is rough, heart rate elevated as she tries to quell her frustration. “There has to be another way, Hope.”

“There are other ways, but they’re not permanent,” she grits out, running her hand through her hair. 

_Their solutions aren’t permanent,_ she thinks. _They’re not good enough. I’m not good enough._

Watching Hope walk back and forth is driving Josie up a wall, and she can’t even verbalize why the action bothers her. 

Hope continues spiraling, “Whenever they break out or undo whatever spells we cast to restrain them, they will come back for revenge, and they will have the upper hand.”

“Then we’ll find another way,” Josie begs, willing Hope to not do this. “We’ll create a loophole. We’ll do something, anything that doesn’t end in a massacre.”

Hope huffs, exasperated. Her skull feels like it’s splitting in two. Why are there so many voices in her head? “I lost you for three months! Three months of heartache because of them! Three months that should’ve been filled with loving you!” 

And now she can’t even spend quality time with Josie without being sent back to those months. The memories burrow under her skin and crawl out at the most inopportune of times. They strike chaotically, ripping away at her until she begins to detest the girl she loves, but she knows Josie’s free will was taken from her and contorted. It’s aggravating because she wants to blame her for it all, but she can’t; she has to blame a faceless coven who yearns to emotionally abuse her. 

It was a psychological attack.

There are people walking in the hallway outside—their footsteps slamming heavily against hardwood. Someone is playing 80s metal two rooms down, and the electric guitar screeches like fingernails on a chalkboard. 

Why is everything so _fucking_ loud?

“Hope,” Josie sighs, rubbing her face with her hands. Hope’s nervous pacing is becoming too much. “Can you sit down please?”

Hope’s chest heaves and her face contorts like she wants to refuse. How can Josie not tell what’s happening with her? Why is she insisting she settle down?

It’s too loud. 

Her heartbeat is slamming around her eardrums. The wind is shrieking at her through the window. Her air conditioning is buzzing, swirling around the room as it constantly reverberates through the walls.

Why isn’t Josie listening to her?

She doesn’t sit down, ceaselessly shuffling across floorboards.

Suddenly the ground is juddering beneath them. Her furniture rattles carelessly, and trinkets threaten to fall from shelves. A golden brilliance shimmers at the corners of her vision, and fangs enlarge, causing a throb to burst through her gums. She spins around as the noises increase, becoming too jarring to focus on anything else.

“Hope?” Josie asks, clutching onto the frame of the bed. All of their surroundings are still quivering in synchronicity with Hope’s body. 

The siphoner stumbles towards her, reaching out to stabilize the tribrid through comforting touch, but Hope harshly flinches away as if she were beaten. That’s when Josie finally notices the intensity in golden irises, understanding that the girl before her feels threatened and scared. She reaches out again, much more cautiously than before, and Hope is hesitant, feeling like she’ll combust on the spot and be engulfed by searing heat, burning alive.

Much like her mother did. 

This is exactly what Josie was anxious about doing. She was refraining from raising her voice against Hope because she didn’t want to trigger a flashback. The last thing she ever wants is for Hope to have awful and intrusive thoughts.

Freezing palms settle across flushed cheeks, the drop in temperature causing all of Hope’s attention to concentrate on Josie. The Saltzman twin rubs circles into her skin, leaning forward to place a delicate kiss onto her forehead. Hope holds her breath, unaware of what Josie will do next; she’s scared and she hates it. 

Magic is steadily seeping from her, dripping uninterruptedly like an IV. With every gentle kiss that Josie litters across her skin, they’re accompanied by siphoning that relaxes stiff muscles and eventually calms her breathing. 

When Hope finally regains control of her rupturing supernatural abilities, she steps into Josie, encircling her in a firm grasp and nuzzling her neck. Hot tears overflow her waterline, smearing Josie’s skin as Hope silently sobs. The younger girl shushes her, pecking her temple and massaging her hip bones. There’s a scar marring the area—a souvenir from the attack of Blackbird. 

When Hope’s chest still heaves and the crying doesn’t desist, Josie hums “Fix You” by Coldplay into her ear. The vibrations of her throat and the intoxicating scent of home that Hope associates with Josie are enough to pacify her. 

For a moment, the world stops shuddering.

Josie coaxes her to the bed, and unable to resist the vulnerability in wanting to feel safe and cared for, Hope crawls towards her and falls into open arms, entangling their limbs and tucking her face into the siphoner’s neck. Josie’s fingers massage her lower back, digging into the knots until they loosen and relax. 

Subtly siphoning from Hope, Josie manipulates the power to switch on the music player. Jazz echoes against the walls, grating her ears, but she ignores it in favor of letting it comfort Hope. She feels like she’s been demanding too much of Hope, fighting her when she should be supporting her. 

Something doesn’t sit right inside her at the thought of killing the remainder of Alyssa’s family. Losing your parents is devastating, especially if you’re close to them; she can’t imagine being deprived of all of your relatives.

Maybe Hope was right. Maybe she is being hypocritical. Sometimes when she merely glances at Roman, she’s willing to rip his face off and light him on fire. Jealousy festers at the pit of her stomach, and she doesn’t quite understand why he bothers her so much. 

Hope is right here in her arms, and he’s nowhere in sight.

“You’re still tormented with headaches and gaps in your memory,” Hope tries once more, voice cracking. “How can you just overlook that and dismiss it?”

“How can you overlook the trauma that killing Alyssa’s family will induce?” Josie counters, sighing as she begins to knead Hope’s shoulders.

A silence encases them as they reach an impasse. 

Hope doesn’t move from her position on top of Josie, continuing to hold her as she falls from her high. 

“I have memories from when you were hexed,” Hope confesses, accidentally brushing her lips against a sensitive part of Josie’s neck and causing her to squirm. She doesn’t feel pressured to share her thoughts, but it’s easier to voice them when the siphoner is around. “I know it wasn’t you, but the words came from your mouth. I value your opinion above everyone else’s, so it feels like perpetual torture.”

“Hope,” Josie stiffens under her, tilting her head down to really look at the tribrid. “You’re a good person. You’re loyal to a fault, and you’d do anything to protect your family and friends, to protect me. Your first instinct was to run all the way from New Orleans to Mystic Falls because the school was in danger.”

Hope is mentally exhausted, sinking even further into Josie. “Am I being selfish?” she whispers, biting down on her lip. “For wanting to hurt them?”

“I think you’re trying to protect your loved ones to the best of your ability,” Josie replies, kissing the shorter girl’s forehead and tracing the ridges of her spine. “And you’re upset for what they’ve done to the two of us.”

“I just wish I could forget,” Hope sighs, shaking her head. “My brain is struggling to separate you from hexed you.”

“I would remember everything if it meant you could forget it all.”

As mocha irises roam over Hope, assessing her relaxed features and serene body language, she remembers that violence and vengeance are really all the tribrid knows. Her father was the original hybrid consumed by paranoia, and the rest of the Mikaelsons swore to protect each other above all else. 

Protecting always involved some form of death. 

And maybe no amount of persuading will change that mentality. 

Josie bites her lip, fiddling with the solitary ring on her middle finger. She used to not wear rings at all, but Hope would be more likely to play with her hands if she wore them. Staring ahead at the ceiling, she mumbles, “I don’t think I want to go to Illinois.” 

Hope lifts her head, face dropping, not expecting Josie to decline the trip. She inevitably takes control of her expression, replacing it with a half-smile that contains undertones of melancholy. 

“And that’s okay,” Hope reassures, forcing herself to accept Josie’s decision. She dips down and kisses her collarbone; her senses no longer on a sensitive overdrive. “You shouldn’t be forced into uncomfortable situations.” 

Needing to feel some form of stability after disagreeing for the past hour, Josie traces the base of her spine and looks at the ocean eyed girl. “We can make up for lost time now… if that’s okay.” 

When Hope catches her gaze, there’s a playful glint in her eyes accompanied by a shy smile. “Hold me for a little bit longer, first?” she requests, running her nose along the hollow of Josie’s throat. 

“Always.”

-

With two hours left before the Super Squad departs, Hope finds herself at a minigolf course, howling in laughter at Josie’s antics. 

“Jo, do you need glasses?” Hope snorts, hip checking the girl away from the golf tee. She giggles to herself, snorting as Josie missing her swing loops in her head. “How is your hand-eye coordination that terrible?”

Hope swings an essentially perfect put, ready to acquire a hole-in-one or at the very least, a birdie. Although halfway through the course, the golf ball harshly veers off the fake grass and into the artificial pond. 

Gasping, Hope whips around and faces Josie, knowing fully that the brunette sabotaged her stroke. “That’s cheating!” 

“Please.” Josie rolls her eyes, chuckling. “You cheat every time we bowl because you hate losing.”

“I do not,” Hope feigns offense at the accusation. “You don’t want to accept that my granny-style bowling is phenomenal.”

Shaking her head fondly, Josie tosses aside her golf putter and engulfs Hope into a hug, attacking her cheeks and forehead and nose with sloppy kisses. The almighty tribrid squeaks in response, trying to slip away from Josie’s grasp but never actually pulling hard enough. 

Handing Josie back her club, Hope urges her to position herself once more. Pressing her front to Josie’s back, she reaches around her and holds the twin’s hands on top of the handle. 

“Can you even see from back there?” Josie teases, grinding back against Hope for extra measure. “Your heeled booties can only give you so much height.”

Hope laughs into the nape of Josie’s neck before leaving lingering kisses across her skin. “I can see perfectly fine, thank you very much. Just follow my lead.” 

Their arms drawback, readying up for their swing, but at the very last moment, Josie snaps down her elbows and jerks the putter into a full swing, sending the golf ball flying into a different course.

“ _Jo._ ” Hope pouts as she crosses her arms. 

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” Josie repeats, laughing in between breaths. She pulls Hope into her chest, kissing away the frown. 

The tribrid can only feign being upset for so long before she’s happily giggling into Josie’s neck as they hold each other. The undertones of lavender and vanilla calm Hope in ways she can’t even explain, and the lull of Josie’s heartbeat reminds her that the siphoner is alive and well. Everything about the brunette comforts her, like a pleasant breeze on a harsh summer’s day. 

If there’s one thing the duo knows how to do perfectly, it’s pretending everything is fine. For this suspended moment in time, they don’t talk about Illinois, or Hope’s flashbacks, or Josie’s headaches, or the way Jade looks at Josie, or the way Josie wants to kill Roman. They overlook their current problems, pushing them aside as they opt to spend time with each other instead of disagreeing and arguing. 

Hope knows it isn’t particularly healthy to ignore their issues, but if it means Josie will hold her and tenderly kiss her, then she supposes she can hold her tongue and enjoy their time together. 

After all, Hope craves to be loved.

“Hey,” Josie says, her voice gently caressing Hope’s auditory perception. “Wanna grab some froyo before we head back?”

“Please.”

-

Josie on a sugar high never ceases to lift Hope’s spirits. The brunette is hyper after enjoying a sweet cup of frozen yogurt, dancing around the tribrid’s room as she continues to pack. At one point, a ukulele ends up in Josie’s arms and she strums the chords to the song “Lover” by Taylor Swift, belting the lyrics slightly off-key because she doesn’t care about hitting all of the notes. 

Hope is enraptured by the performance, pausing from packing because Josie draws all of her attention. There’s a moment when time stops; they look into each other’s eyes and everything fades into the ether. It’s just her and Josie, helplessly enamored, wholly connected. 

And then…

“Saltzman! Your singing sucks!”

Hope slams open her door quicker than Josie could blink, and in the hallway, one of the werewolves is walking through with a wickery ball in hand. They don’t even have the chance to react before Hope raises her arm, saying, “Corporis impetu.”

The werewolf is slammed into a wall, the wood creaking under the force of the pressure. Hope’s irises glare dandelion, and her arm is outstretched, tense as it keeps the magical hold. “Say that again and you’ll be eating breakfast through a feeding tube for the next month.”

Groaning, the werewolf chokes out an apology, their eyes matching in golden luster. “Mikaelson, I’m sorry! It’s a full moon tomorrow. Josie sings like an angel. Please!”

Hope’s grip dissolves as she sighs, allowing the werewolf to peel off the wall. They do an odd shimmy like they’re trying to understand how their limbs function, then they apologize once more with a metaphorical tail between their legs. 

Salvatore Boarding School becomes increasingly more rambunctious and arrogant near the full moon. The werewolves are more on edge, snapping at any nuance of insufferability from others, and the vampires in turn become more aggravated, threatening to rip apart students. 

“You’ve been on edge all day,” Josie says, the slightest pout to her lips. Hope wants to kiss it away. “Do you need to turn again?”

“It won’t be worth it if I can only turn for thirty minutes,” Hope sighed, still shoving things into her duffle. 

With a wave of her hand, Josie packs all of Hope’s necessities for her, zipping it up and levitating it to the door. Hope gapes at her before saying, “Did you remember the-”

“I’ve known you forever, and we’ve been on our fair share of monster-hunting missions.” Josie grins smugly. “Of course I remembered.”

Collapsing on the bed, Hope curls into Josie. “Wake me up in fifteen minutes, yeah?”

“You’ll wake up and still be tired,” Josie says, readjusting herself so they’re both comfortable. “You don’t feel awake unless you sleep for at least eight hours.”

“That’s not true-”

The door swings open. “Mikaelson!”

Groaning, Hope tries to hide into the brunette. She just wants one lazy day to herself. Just one. 

“What’s wrong, Lizzie?” Josie asks, pushing herself up with her elbows. 

“Oh hey, Jo,” Lizzie greets before grabbing a pillow and smacking her with it. “Wake up, Snorlax. What’re we going to do about MG?”

Hope throws the pillow back at the blonde with double the amount of force before grumbling, “What’s wrong with MG?”

“Josie, your girlfriend is abusing me,” Lizzie deadpans, knowing it’ll rile up the tribrid. 

Hope gapes like a fish out of water, stunned by the blonde’s audacity. She pretends that she didn’t hear the relationship label because she and Josie still need to sort through their issues before officially getting together again. 

She pouts at the brunette. “You saw her do it first.”

Josie playfully rolls her eyes, motioning for her twin to continue with her news. 

“MG told me he has everything under control for our witch investigation, but after what happened at Blackbird, I’m still skeptical for him to be in any type of fight,” Lizzie confesses with a sigh, hugging the pillow to her stomach. “It’s not that I don’t trust him, but any training he’s gotten from the teachers here hasn’t exactly been working.”

“Wait, what happened at Blackbird?” Hope asks, backtracking. She doesn’t remember most of the fight, aside from being impaled with a metal rod. It was a blur of ripping through everyone as she tried to reach Josie. 

“He almost sucked dry the entire coven,” Lizzie recalls with a shake of her head, peeling at the skin around her nails. “Rafael and Kaleb got a hold of him before he could Stefan Salvatore everyone in the church.”

Hope sits up at that, furrowing her brows. “I don’t remember any of that happening.”

Lizzie rolls her eyes, crossing her arms and saying, “It’s because you were too busy being teen wolf, feasting on the blood of your enemies that you couldn’t notice.” 

Josie tenses beside her, and Hope flexes her jaw, pretending that she isn’t affected by the uneasiness of the brunette. Hope isn’t proud of what she did, but she’d do it again in a heartbeat if it meant keeping Josie safe.

Running a hand through her hair, Hope thinks of an alternative plan. She’ll definitely talk to Marcel about MG’s tendencies. He’ll be more efficient at helping the ripper than any other lousy teacher at this school. 

“You can lead him on a rabbit chase,” she tells Lizzie with a shrug of her shoulders. “After you investigate with him, instead of regrouping, you can pretend that you found out important information.”

“Your first thought is to… lie to him,” the blonde siphoner reiterates, slowly enunciating each word. 

A carefully blank expression slips onto Hope’s face, and she doesn’t quite understand the issue. The twins share a look, one that isn’t lost on Hope, so she clears her throat and provides an alternative. 

“Rebekah and Marcel have more vampire experience than anyone in this school, so I can introduce them to him,” Hope suggests, playing with the ring on Josie’s finger. “Although he might be stuck under supervision for the entirety of the trip.”

“It’s fine,” Lizzie says, flipping her hair behind her shoulder. “I’ll save him from nerding out. I don’t think centuries-old vampires understand pop culture.” Then, as an afterthought, “What’s Rebekah’s skincare routine? Her pores are non-existent.”

Hope snorts. “Being immortal is her skincare routine.”

-

Hope is a little bitter that Josie is staying at school, but she doesn’t make a scene of it. Like most things, she shoves down her emotions and appears as confident and steady as possible. 

It’s golden hour when they pile the van with their bags. MG raided the kitchen with Rafael, and there are enough snacks to last them a week, most of which are delectable sugary pastries. 

Kaleb is already blasting music, hyping up the teenagers and lightening up everyone’s moods. They mess around, tossing around a wickery ball and dancing without any real finesse. When Marcel starts doing the moonwalk, MG and Kaleb mimic him, competing over who does it better. 

They’re almost done loading the Honda when Rebekah pulls her aside. 

“Love, did you and Josie sort things out?” Rebekah asks, reassuringly rubbing Hope’s shoulders. “The last time we spoke you were distressed and practically ripping apart at the seams.”

Hope feels the weariness from magically combusting earlier, appearing slightly older, a little more calloused. “The Chang coven is responsible for most of our altercations. I don’t know how I didn’t see it sooner. I should’ve _known_.”

“A flawlessly timed execution on Alyssa’s behalf,” Rebekah sighs, melancholy sparkling within sympathetic irises. “Hexes can be difficult to detect if you aren’t purposefully seeking them out.”

Hope worries her lip, glancing at their shoes. She peeks through long lashes to softly inquire, “Am I a bad person for wanting to blame Josie? I comprehend that she wasn’t herself, but some part of me feels like she meant every poison-laced word.” 

“Hope, you can spend an eternity holding grudges and playing a blame game,” Rebekah declares, looking Hope in the eye. She lifts Hope’s chin, ensuring that her niece understands her next words. “But isn’t repairing what you once lost more important than allowing hatred to swallow you whole?”

Hope swallows, murmuring, “You didn’t answer the question.”

“All of us live with a demon inside,” Rebekah explains, brushing a strand of auburn behind Hope’s ear. “Some days you control the demon, and other days it controls you. And it is always hungry. It feeds on lust and longing. And while you may slumber, the demon never sleeps. It tempts you into crossing every line you’ve ever drawn, all the while it tests you, haunts you, renders you incapable of telling friend from foe. And once it has turned your loved ones into enemies, the demon has consumed you whole.” 

Rebekah kisses Hope’s forehead. “You’re not a cruel person, but like the rest of us, you’re capable of a fierce malevolence. You have the meticulous decision to choose between fighting who inflicted the wound or healing it.”

“And if I choose wrong?” Hope asks, hands trembling. “If the hatred unintentionally swallows me whole?”

Rebekah slips her hands into Hope’s, squeezing them in reassurance. “Always and Forever isn’t just a phrase,” she reminds her niece, grinning. “It’s a vow, one that you seem to need a reminder of.”

“Thank you, Auntie Bex.” Hope hugs her, relaxing into a warm embrace. She often wishes that her family lived closer, not separated by long distances. It’s ironic considering that when the Hollow was divided between the Mikaelsons, they couldn’t seem to sever their connections with each other, but it’s almost like they do it of free will now. “I do have one request as of right now though.” 

“Anything, love.”

Hope calls over MG and Marcel, explaining her friend’s circumstance. MG is confused at first, unaware that she planned on introducing them to him. She can tell that MG is rattled and a little hurt because Hope hadn’t even asked for his opinion prior. 

He understands her desire to help him, but she never once mentioned it. 

Marcel and Rebekah easily agree to mentor him, providing any advice he’ll need to shut out his excessive thirst. Despite the lack of a heads up, MG’s naturally polite instincts are flawless, charming the adults and thanking them for the help. 

They eventually decide on keeping a close eye on MG, and when they prepare to leave, finally choosing their seating partners, a student appears with a mischievous demeanor. 

Hope spots her first, crossing her arms and glaring fiercely. “This mission is invitation only. And if it wasn’t clear enough, you’re uninvited.”

Jade wraps an arm around MG. “But I do have an invitation. Classic example of the buddy system,” she smirks, shrugging. “Dr. Saltzman ordered us to work through our impulses together.”

“Of course that twit would pair two rippers together,” Rebekah scoffs under her breath. “It’ll do more harm than good.”

“Yeah, no,” Lizzie rejects, standing beside Hope. The Saltzman twin is a force of nature even when unprovoked, but accompanied by Hope, her natural propensity for blunt remarks and sarcasm multiplies. “Homewreckers receive permanent banishment from all Super Squad activities.”

“You would _love_ that wouldn’t you?” Jade’s Cheshire cat grin expands, pupils constricted. “Otherwise, I’d spill all of your little secrets.”

“ _Please_ , a bimbo like you has nothing on me.” Lizzie rolls her eyes, flipping her hair. 

Jade winks, smirking viscously. “We’ll see.” 

MG awkwardly slips out of Jade’s grip and stands beside his girlfriend. Jed, Kaleb, and Rafael follow suit and stand tall behind the Mikaelson. Combined, they’re a lethal unit that supports their friends without a second thought.

Off to the side, Rebekah and Marcel nod in approval, respecting the loyalty of Hope’s friends. 

“You should really learn not to fuck with a Mikaelson,” Hope bites out, stepping forward. 

Jade doesn’t cower, doesn’t even flinch. Her arrogance is unmatched, like she still has an advantage over them. “Your loss,” she shrugs, lips still quirked up. “Enjoy your little witch-hunt in Illinois.”

Hope tenses, unnerved that Jade knows of their plans. The blonde vampire super speeds away, disappearing into the corridors of Salvatore. The tribrid fumes, shaking her head because _, of course,_ Jade gets the last word. 

Everyone reassures Hope, patting her back and telling her Jade will get what she deserves. They pile into the van, deciding that it’s finally time to head out. Kaleb is still in charge of the aux, switching the upbeat pop to smooth jazz. It helps with Hope who has been on edge most of the day, and she relaxes into her seat, leaning her head against a window. 

In terms of aggression, Rafael’s temper is easily set off, likely due to the full moon. It hasn’t occurred to Hope that the moon phase is also affecting her mood, which doesn’t happen often considering her hybrid genes but is still possible. 

It’s sundown when they finally drive past the front gate. Marcel drives them, not necessarily keen on spending a weekend with hormonal teenagers, but supportive of Hope all the same. It’s always best to have more allies than enemies anyway. 

_Hope_. 

Her name echoes in her ears, a distant sound. 

She snaps around, listening closer for another indicator.

And then she hears it.

The high pitched crack in Josie’s voice when she’s upset. 

“Marcel stop the car,” she demands, already unbuckling her seatbelt.

The instant the brakes are floored, Hope flings open the door and looks over to the distant gates of Salvatore. 

“Darling, what on earth are you doing?” Rebekah calls out. 

Hope ignores her, too focused on the sight that is Josie Saltzman. 

Backpack in hand, the brunette launches towards her in a sprint, several apologies floating into the air between them. Hope meets her halfway, arms extended as she welcomes her into a tight embrace. She lifts the taller girl, twirling her once before setting her down. 

“I’m sorry,” Josie apologizes into Hope’s shoulder. “I hate how we left things, and I hate that circumstances keep on driving us apart.”

“It’s okay,” Hope brushes it off. “You’re here now.”

Josie leans back far enough to steadily look into ocean eyes. “But it isn’t okay. I haven’t been supporting you, and I’ve been invalidating your feelings. You don’t deserve that.”

Hope shakes her head, bemused and entirely too enamored. “I forgive you. Now come on, you’re the only person I really want to go to Illinois with.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Illinois is next chapter. I've never visited there, so my knowledge about any of the tourist attractions and suburbs are limited. 
> 
> @_halcyone on twitter <3 
> 
> Tell me what you think!
> 
> https://dotherightthing.carrd.co/


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